Welcome to the afterlife, son!
by Trugeta
Summary: That's what happens to Mirai Gohan after he has been killed by the Androids. After his arrival in the afterlife he has proven himself worthy to compete in the afterlife tournament. But how far will Gohan as a rookie come?
1. Welcome to the afterlife, son!

**Title:** Welcome to the Afterlife, son!

**Author name:** Trugeta

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Akira Toriyama and Funimation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

This story focuses on the Mirai timeline after Gohan has been killed by the Androids. It's an AU, and Reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 1: Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**  
**Darkness. Absolute darkness. He did not know where he was. The last thing he remembered was blinding light and a soaring, unbearable pain. He had fallen. Then... nothing.

**  
**Suddenly his vision cleared, and to his surprise the demi-Saiyan noticed that he had his arm back. He got up because his fighting instincts told him to do so. He turned around, and saw something. Something he had hoped to see in the far future.

**  
**It was the huge desk of Lord Enma. And it looked exactly the way his father had once described it. Huge and impressive. And the same could be said about the even so huge Lord Enma. He was more than twice the size of his grandfather, the Ox-King, had red skin and horns. In two words: VERY impressive.

**  
**Gohan walked into the row of people and spirits that were waiting to be judged. It was a very long row. Apparently those darn hellspawned tinkertoys were quite busy down on Earth and continued their murderous onslaught against humanity. And he could do absolutely nothing against it...

**  
**The line proceeded, and finally the time had come by which Gohan was the one to be judged. Lord Enma looked at him.  
"Ah, Son Gohan. One of the last two persons to fight the reason for all this work we have up here. Ahh, sadly you were not able to change the situation. Well, regarding all that you have done for Earth you are allowed to keep your body. You will train with..." he stopped in mid-sentence and looked at someone.

**  
**Gohan followed his view, and saw... his father! He looked the same way he'd looked when Gohan had seen him the last time. Only the pain strained expression was gone.

**  
**It had been unbearable for Gohan to see his father suffer this much before he had died, and through this pain of loss he had been finally able to turn Super Saiyan. He had not been able to help his father, and he'd thought that it had been his fault.

**  
**Later on he had of course realized that he could not have done anything to save his father at all, but that had been the way he had felt as a young boy. It had dominated his thoughts. He had let his father down.

**  
**Because of this he had trained and trained and trained. To hell with the damned studies his mother had wanted to force him through. Yeah, it could not have been an easy time for his mom...

**  
**But then came the Androids Juunanagou and Juuhachigou. Those damned, blasted tinkertoys from hell. The other Z-fighters and him had put up a valiant battle, but in the end the Androids had proven to be too strong.

**  
**And those heartless monsters had killed all the others! Killed them! Them all! Not only defeated to prove they were superior! Killed! Brutally murdered!

**  
**With Piccolo gone it was impossible to use Earth' dragonballs to rectify all that had been done by those blasted machines of death. And with the Nameks disappeared to Kami-knows-where it was impossible to use the Namekian dragonballs, too!

**  
**With his last dying breath Vegeta had commanded him to escape. To train. To avenge them.

Oh yeah, he remembered Vegetas last words all too well:  
_"Gohan... you must... flee! Train... become... stronger! Show... them... what a... Saiyan... is capable... of! Avenge us!"_

**  
**But he had failed them! Ultimately! He had left Trunks all alone in a world that lived in constant fear of those monsters and their deeds! Why had he been so weak?

**  
**He looked at his father, and Goku smiled.  
"Ah, there you are, Goku." Lord Enma said. "Good! You can take your son straight with you. Train him to become stronger. Who knows when you'll be able to return to the dimension of Earth once again? You must be prepared."

**  
**Goku nodded.  
"I will, Lord Enma. Thank you." he said and walked towards his son. He looked him straight into the eyes with his coal-black eyes.

**  
**How much had Gohan missed this gentle and caring expression of his fathers eyes. His eerily happy attitude, the warmth of his whole being. When his father had died, a part of Gohan had died also. Especially because he thought that he'd never see his father again in his life on Earth. And he had been right…

**  
**Goku was the first to speak.  
"Hello, son. Welcome to the afterlife."

**  
**Gohan looked at him with sad eyes.  
"Hello, dad."

**  
**Goku surveyed him.  
"Hey, what's up, son? Not happy to see me again?" he asked in his eerily happy attitude and with his trademark goofy grin.

**  
**Gohans heart nearly burst.  
"I wanted to see you alive again! On Earth! Once I had beat the Androids and wished you back! But I failed!" he nearly screamed, and his KI grew at an alarming rate.

**  
**Goku looked concerned.  
"Whoa son, calm down! No one was able to beat them, not even Vegeta!" he reasoned.

**  
**But it seemed that Gohan hadn't even heard him.  
"I failed! Ultimately! I left Trunks alone in a world where those f Androids have him at their mercy! I as good as served him to them on the silver plate!" he screamed and his rising KI made the whole room shake.

**  
**Goku's concern grew. This was not good...  
"Gohan, listen to me! You are not responsible for what happened! And you're not responsible for what will happen! Not even Vegeta and all the others were able to beat them combined! And Vegeta was a Super Saiyan!"

**  
**Gohan growled. His KI rose to dramatic proportions, and a blinding white aura surrounded him. This aura soon changed from white to gold, as Gohan transformed into a Super Saiyan.  
"I AM a Super Saiyan!" he yelled, "But I was too weak to destroy this blasted, god damned, f pieces of scrap! Too weak! I failed!" he finished with tears in his teal eyes.

**  
**Goku was most surprised. He had not seen what had been going on down on Earth for quite a while, cause he had been too obsessed with his own training. Obviously he had missed out quite a lot of things...  
"Hey son, calm down! Vegeta was not able to beat them as a Super Saiyan with the additional help of all the others! How do you expect from yourself to beat them on your own accord? All alone? Those creatures ARE stronger than a Super Saiyan! Vegeta learned that the hard way. You can ask him."

**  
**This calmed Gohan somewhat. And it surprised him.  
"Vegeta? He's here?" he said, and meant that he'd thought that Vegeta would be in hell.

**  
**Goku nodded and grinned.  
"Yeah. He has been allowed to keep his body and train with me and the others. Lord Enma regarded the fact, that he had sacrificed himself for Earth and its people to stop the Androids. We've trained ever since!"

**  
**Gohan looked baffled.  
"Vegeta was allowed to keep his body? And to train with you?" Goku nodded. "Hard to believe..." Gohan stated.

**  
**Goku grinned even more.  
"I convinced Lord Enma with the help of King Kai. We argumented, that Vegeta would go to any length to become stronger than me. Remember how jealous he was when I became a Super Saiyan before him?" Gohan nodded and his father continued. "We thought that we could use this rivalry between us to become stronger. Competition helps, you know." Goku explained.

**  
**Gohan nodded. That sounded logical. Meanwhile he had calmed down enough to regain his composure. He powered down into his normal status, and his father looked relieved.  
"I understand, dad. But I've still got the feeling that I left Trunks to die. And he MUST not die. All of the people down on Earth that are slaughtered by those mechanical monstrosities MUST not die. But I can do nothing to change this!" he said sadly.

**  
**Goku looked at his son sympathetically and patted him on the back.  
"That's why we train so vigorously. In case someone wishes us back. As Lord Enma said, who knows when someone WILL wish us back? But you're right, son, the Earth depends now on Trunks. Let's hope that he'll grow strong enough to change the things for the better..."

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"And let's just hope that he's clever enough to keep a low profile until he's strong enough to beat one of them. If he became strong enough to beat one Android at a time and could lure that blasted thing into a trap, he might have a chance to end this threat. But I pray that he does not plan to avenge me and is stupid enough to attack both of them."

**  
**Goku agreed.  
"Yeah. But who knows... maybe Bulma has something up her sleeve to change the situation. After all, she's a genius. And if she does not give up, who knows..." he trailed off, before continuing, "and until that time comes we will train and become stronger. We WILL be prepared!"

**  
**Now Gohan nodded.  
"Yeah. That we will. By the way..."

**  
**"What is it, son?" his father asked.

**  
**Gohan smiled. The first real smile in many, many years.  
"I AM glad and happy to see you again, dad." he said and hugged his father.

**  
**Goku returned the hug.  
"Me too, my son, me too..."

**  
to be continued…**

**  
**Thanks for reading. Please review!


	2. The otherworld

**A/N: **Originally this story was planned as a one-shot, but due to readers 'demand' I've decided to continue the story. But updates might take a while, for I am currently writing four stories beside this one! I am glad that you liked it! Many thanks to my reviewers:  
  
  
  
**Kuso Netaba**: Thanks! You can be sure there will be action in it... yeah, Mirai Gohan is really a tad OOC, but the feeling that he died powerless to stop the Androids and left Trunks all alone sent him somewhat over the edge. But luckily Goku managed to talk some sense into him!                               

  
  
**animeprincess1452**: And a big thanks again, my princess!                     

  
  
**.**: I did it on purpose. Naturally Goku would be the first person to look after his son once he had arrived in the afterlife, but Gohan will meet Piccolo and the others later. Promise!

  
  
**DBZ Chick1**: Glad you liked it!                       

  
  
**Digi fan**: Thank you very much! Sadly it was never shown how Gohan reacted once he came to the afterlife, so I try to write how it might have happened. This whole situation has so much potential, and I am glad that you readers convinced me to carry on with this story. Thanks!                 

**  
  
  
Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

  
  
  
**Chapter Two: The otherworld  
**  
  
**Last time...  
**  
Goku agreed.

"Yeah. But who knows... maybe Bulma has something up her sleeve to change the situation. After all, she's a genius. And if she does not give up, who knows..." he trailed off, before continuing, "and until that time comes we will train and become stronger. We WILL be prepared!"

Now Gohan nodded.

"Yeah. That we will. By the way..."

"What is it, son?" his father asked.

Gohan smiled. The first real smile in many, many years.

"I AM glad and happy to see you again, dad." he said and hugged his father.

Goku returned the hug.

"Me too, my son, me too..."

  
  
**Now the continuation...**

  
After father and son had sorted their feelings out (sort of) and now that Gohan had somewhat regained his mental equilibrium, Goku decided that it was time to pay King Kai a visit. The catfish-god would be more than interested to know that another one of the Z-Fighters had died fighting the Androids.

King Kai himself had chosen to leave his planet in the North galaxy in order to train the dead Z-Fighters, although he could not teach Piccolo, Vegeta or him any more. They had become too good...

Goku turned to his son.

"Hey son, how about I show you the other world? There you'll see a lot of good and strong fighters!" he said, and he deliberately did not mention that all the dead Z-Fighters were among them. _And _he did not mention that the next Afterlife Tournament was to be held soon. Inwardly he smirked. _This_ would surely cheer his son up! The perspective to become stronger and beat other, strong opponents in a fair battle...

Gohan nodded.

"Okay, dad. You're street smart. Lead the way!" he said.

Goku nodded and turned to King Enma.

"Well, see ya, King Enma!" he exclaimed, waved and turned left. "Gotta get a jet!" he added, and smiled.

Gohan wondered what his dad had meant by "Gotta get a jet", shook his head and followed him anyway.

"Till then, Goku! And bring some tea with you next time!" King Enma boomed before attending to his work.

  
Goku went straight for the exit that lead to the afterlife airport, when suddenly one of the afterlife employees of King Enma stepped into his way.

"Hey, stop! Sorry, sirs," the blue-faced demon began, "you can't come this way! I'm afraid you have to wait in line..."

Then his jaw nearly impacted on the floor once he registered that Goku and Gohan still had their bodies.

"Oh... oh..." he said and touched both Gohan and Goku, as if to verify that they _really_ still had their bodies, then he said with shaking voice

"Ahh... uh... ah... you still have your bodies!" he exclaimed, whereas Goku and his son looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and looked at the demon with an expression that said 'So what?'

"Umm... what can I say? You're the first ones I've ever seen!" he exclaimed with wonder, and Goku looked at King Enma with a questioning look that said 'He's new, isn't he', and King Enma just rolled his eyes and nodded.

The demon however continued.

"It's such a honour! After you, sirs!" he said, and bowed his head, whereas Goku and Gohan just walked out and left the little demon behind.

"Wow, they were allowed to keep their bodies and will be allowed to _train_ with all the fighters _and_ the Grand Kai! They must have done something incredible!"

"Gave their lives to save the Earth!" King Enma read from out of his book, "Works for me!" he said, and the little demon looked very impressed.

  
  
Gohan and Goku however had stepped out and had entered a large airport. Everywhere he looked, all Gohan did see where platforms with airplanes. 

Different kinds of demons (for example a very chubby blue-skinned demon with one eye, or a nearly human-looking demon with two-horns and sunglasses) called the different dead with megaphones. Beautiful blue-haired stewardesses were waiting for all 'passengers' to enter the different airplanes, and Goku led his son towards the demon that had announced

"All who have been allowed to keep their bodies to me, please!"

They walked over, and the demon checked his list.

"Ahh, Goku Son and Gohan Son. You're allowed to enter the plane. Seats B-7 and B-8. Have a nice flight!" he said, and Goku nodded his thanks.

Gohan was still a bit overwhelmed by seeing all this, and he tried to get as much information as possible. This was fascinating and totally different from what he would have expected. But on the other, what _would_ he have expected anyway? He had never been dead _before_...

And all his father had told him was how King Enma looked and that his desktop was really huge. But that was his father, why bother with the details?

Gohans mood improved already at the prospect to see his old comrades and friends again, especially his old mentor Piccolo. Yeah, it would do good to see him and the others again. It had done so good to see his father again, even if he had hoped to see him under different circumstances. Well, that could not be helped any more...

They entered the plane, and although Goku had been assigned the place at the window he gave the place to his son.

"I've seen it before, and it looks so beautiful! So you should have a full view on it, too, son!" he exclaimed.

Gohan smiled and thanked his dad. Then they sat down, and minutes later the plane started. It turned out that Gohan and his father were the only passengers, as obviously nobody else had been allowed to keep their bodies.

The plane took off, and once it had done so Gohan registered the odd color of the sky. It was completely violet, and the clouds were of yellow color. It was the strangest thing Gohan had seen until now, so much was for sure!

Gohan looked out of the window, and cooed a big "Wow!"

The planet beneath them was surely as huge as Earth, but it's colors were completely different. Nearly every color of the spectrum was represented down on the otherworld, and its beauty was emphasized by the brilliant sun that shone upon it. 

Far away Gohan could make out another celestial body, but he could not classify it. Well, that was not surprising...

Soon the planet descended to land upon the otherworld, and only now Gohan could make out that it had a really interesting landing zone. A _huge_ circle was placed in the middle of the biggest continent, and different structures were located within it. Gohan was most curious what these buildings were...

Then the plane landed, and their captain said that they had landed successfully. That was not surprising; there had _never_ been an accident before...

Gohan looked around admiringly. The terminal they had landed in was huge! But did not have much time to look around, as his father smiled a goofy Son smile and waved him to follow. Which he did.

They walked for a while, until they entered something that resembled a park. Gohan looked around. The sky had still a violet color, but the clouds here were white. 

And everywhere he looked fighters were training. And he had never seen so strange being in his whole life... ehm, death. A tall lizard like creature was making vertical push-ups, two very tiny creatures (they looked like midgets) were engaged in an intense close combat, other fighters were sparring, again others were training their signature moves... well, everywhere Gohan looked, huzzle and buzzle....

Goku smiled as he saw the dreamy look that had entered his sons eyes. He had felt the same anticipation once he had seen this assemblence of fighters for the first time himself.

"Wow," Gohan said, "that place is like a dream come true!" he exclaimed, and this simple sentence made Goku very proud.

It showed him that his son had indeed become a fighter after his death, and not a scholar like Chi-Chi had wanted and he had always feared. What exactly was a scholar good for who could calculate how much atoms existed in the whole universe or how old Earth was exactly if Earth or the universe would be destroyed because of his inability to fight?

  
  
Well, actually Gohan had died without the chance to safe Earth and its people, but due to his noble sacrifice for the human race he had been allowed to keep his body and train. That surely would not have been the case if he had become a scholar like his mother had always wanted...

**~ Mother! I wonder where she is... ~** he thought.

While walking Gohan forced himself to ask his father.

"Dad, do you know where mum is? Can I see her?" he asked.

Goku looked at his son, and an ambivalent expression entered his face. He managed to look both sad and happy at the same time.

"Yeah, son, I know where your mother is. She's in heaven, and thus you will not be able to see her. But she can surely see us from above..." he said, before waving upwards and calling "Hi Chi-Chi!" with his typical goofy grin.

Gohan could not help himself but smile at his fathers behaviour. How much had he missed it! They continued to walk and soon came to an area of the park where hundreds of fighters were training. 

Gohan looked at his father.

"Wow, dad, look at all these fighters! Where are they all from? Some are members of races I've never seen before!" he exclaimed.

Goku smiled.

"Well, they are from all four galaxies. So it's no wonder that you did not recognise most of them. Believe me, son, I was surprised as hell once I saw them all!" he said and patted his son on the back.

A tall, human looking warrior with short black hair, green pants and black boots greeted them.

"Hey Goku! Nice to see you're back! You competing?" he asked.

Goku grinned sheepishly. He had not foreseen that someone else could mention the tournament before he had told his son what was awaiting him...

Gohan looked at his father.

"'Competing'? In what?" he asked.

Goku scratched the back of his head.

"Umm, that was something I wanted to tell you later, son... well, there will be held a new Afterlife Tournament in two days. I will compete, and if you prove to be strong enough you will too!" he exclaimed.

That caught Gohan by surprise...

  
  
  
**to**** be continued... **

  
  
Thanks for reading! Please review!


	3. The Grand Kai

**Hi all! Thanks for all the reviews, you ppl keep me going!  
  
  
Digi fan**: Thanks, and you _will_ see the Z-Fighters together again. Only a bit more waits...                               

  
  
**Marshmellow13Dragon**: You bet! And the next Afterlife Tournament will soon be held. The only question is, will Gohan be allowed to participate? Well, you'll soon find out...                        

  
  
**DBZ Chick1**: Glad you liked it! And I will continue and always update as soon as possible (well, writing two other stories besides this one costs time^^)

  
  
**animeprincess1452**: You're welcome. I really think your stories (especially Saiyan life) are very good, but in most cases you are too fast with updates for me. Thanks for the compliment, but I think you're talented too! I only try to write more than only one genre, and I like to think that I do manage it well.

**  
  
****Note: **Sorry for the delay, but I wasn't able to update till now. Due to my use of A/Ns (and Reviewers responses) my acc has been blocked till this time...

Original Note from ff.net:

'Chapter: "Authors Note and Reviewers Responses"

the above chapter has been removed because it violated the guideline detailed on the upload page.' 

Well, bad luck...

_Never_ use A/Ns or something like that in your own stories, although your only intent might be to purify your chapters. It will result in acc blocking, and that's... argh!

  
  
  
Again special thanks to my beta, who's doing a great job, as always!  
  
  
  
Now to the story:

**  
  
Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

  
  
  
**Chapter Three: The Grand Kai  
**  
  
**Last time...  
**  
A tall, human looking warrior with short black hair, green pants and black boots greeted them.

"Hey Goku! Nice to see you're back! You competing?" he asked.

Goku grinned sheepishly. He had not foreseen that someone else could mention the tournament before he had told his son what was awaiting him...

Gohan looked at his father.

"'Competing'? In what?" he asked.

Goku scratched the back of his head.

"Umm, that was something I wanted to tell you later, son... well, there will be held a new Afterlife Tournament in two days. I will compete, and if you prove to be strong enough you will too!" he exclaimed.

That caught Gohan by surprise...

  
  
**Now the continuation...  
  
**"Wow, dad! A real tournament like the old Tenkaichi Budokais on Earth before the darn tinkertoys came and destroyed everything?" Gohan asked his father with gleaming eyes.

Goku was glad to see that his son was still thrilled at the perspective to fight, but he himself was curious at the same time.

"Yeah, son, that's right. A real tournament with rules and everything. Really cool! I won the last two tournaments, and naturally Vegeta was pissed as hell!" he said, smiling goofily. 

Gohan grinned too. Yeah, he could imagine...

Goku continued.

"But son, tell me what happened after Vegeta and the others had been killed. Sure, I've heard it from them that those Androids were very strong and killed them brutally, but I want to hear what _you_ went through." he said with sympathy in his eyes.

Gohan looked at his father and nodded.

"I did what Vegeta had asked of me. I went into hiding and trained. I knew I was no match for either of them until I had achieved Super Saiyan, so I went into the dessert and put me through the grinder. I told Bulma to keep a low profile, and so she began to construct underground tunnels beneath Capsule Corp. And luckily the Androids are not able to sense KI, otherwise Bulma, Trunks and I would have been all dead in the blink of an eye. Well, I trained hard and long, and when I was fifteen I had finally reached my goal. I became a Super Saiyan, dad. You told me once that you used your anger to become a Super Saiyan on Namek when you fought Freezer, but I used the pain of loss. I had only to imagine how this monsters killed mum, Vegeta and the others, and then something in me snapped and I transformed." he said.

  
  
Goku looked extremely sad. He could now imagine what hardships his son had gone through. And he had only thought of his training! How meaningless in comparison to what his son had done and gone through...

Gohan smiled a sad smile and continued.

"Naturally I thought that I had become strong enough and flew straight to West City and Capsule Corp. Or better it remains. Everywhere I looked destroyed houses and streets, skulls, decayed bodies and so many other horrible things. Those blasted Androids had waged an inhuman onslaught against all of humanity, and nobody had been able to stop them. I became so angry that I turned Super Saiyan, and that was when the Androids arrived. Obviously they had thought they could continue with their pervert fun, and they actually smirked when they saw me. I remember #18s words all too clearly:

'Look what we have here, #17, and another lightning bug. And, what do we do with bugs?' she had asked her brother.

Her darn twin had smirked and said

'We squash them!'

and then the fight had started. At first I was able to stand up to them, but the longer the fight lasted the weaker I became. And those darn machines were not down by an inch! Whatever Gero had equipped them with provided them with seemingly endless energy! They were soon able to gain the upper hand, and #17 punched me into a building that crumbled on top of me. They thought me dead, and gladly this evil, f****** 'Dr.' Gero had not equipped them with devices to pick up other peoples energy. Else I would really have been dead at that time. I realised that I had become stronger, but it was not enough." he explained.

Goku looked baffled. He had heard from Vegeta and the others that these Androids were apparently life-hating, self-satisfied killers, but to hear it from his son in detail was really something else. Apparently those machines had toyed around with his son!  
"And what happened then, son?" he asked with concern in his voice.

  
Gohan continued.

"Well, after I had freed myself from the debris I flew straight to Capsule Corp., battered and bruised as I was, and to my delight I found Bulma and Trunks alive. Trunks had sensed my KI, and they were so glad that _I_ was still alive. I reported to them how my first encounter with the Androids as a Super Saiyan had gone, and naturally Trunks was very angry that they had nearly killed me. He saw me as his mentor, and in the following months and years I did my best to live up to the expectations. But dad, you can't believe the horrors those inhuman creations have done to Earth and its population, and I am so damned angry that I was not able to destroy them! Blast it!" he finished.

  
  
Goku patted his son on the back.

"Hey son, you did your best. Remember, not even the _combined_ Z-Fighters were able to destroy them. And Vegeta was a Super Saiyan at that time, too. So don't put the guilt for not being able to do so alone on your shoulders. You are not responsible! If anyone is, then Gero and the Androids. And Gero rots in hell, so much is sure." he said.

Gohan managed a semi-smile.

"Too bad that his creations won't join him in the near future..." he said.

Goku nodded.

"Yeah, but who knows what the future will bring... well, first of all a new tournament!" he exclaimed happily and smiled in anticipation. 

Now Gohan really smiled. That was his dad as he remembered him. Always thrilled at the prospect to fight...

"Dad, you said 'if I'm good enough'. What did you mean by that?" he asked.

This time it was Gokus turn to smile.

"You will find that out soon enough, son..." he said mysteriously. 

They had reached the end of the path and were now standing in front of a very large white building. King Kai was standing in front of it and was obviously waiting for them.

Gohan had not seen the catfish god in a long time, but he still looked the same way he had back then. Quite, umm, chubby, not very tall, blue-skinned and with antenneas on his head. Yup, King Kai.

"Ahh, there you are, Goku. And you must be Gohan. You sure have grown since the last time I saw you." he exclaimed.

Gohan nodded, but otherwise said nothing. He wanted to know _why _King Kai had waited for them in front of that particular building, and he hoped to get an answer soon.

King Kai continued to speak.

"Well, Goku, the Grand Kai will arrive soon. Time to bow before him. Do it this one time, okay, Goku?" he asked with a nearly pleading voice.

But Goku just smiled.

"You know that I don't do that. I _do_ honour the Grand Kai, but not in this way." he stated.

Suddenly King Kai looked up towards the top of the building.

"That must _be_ the Grand Kai!" he exclaimed, and seconds later a blinding light appeared on top of the building and flew very fast towards them.

"Brace yourself, son!" Goku warned him with a smile, and seconds later Gohan knew why his dad had said that. The Grand Kai impacted like a bomb before them, and King Kai was sent flying backwards for some yards. Gohan looked away from him and saw... the Grand Kai!

But he was completely different from the person he would have awaited, for this guy wore classic blue jeans, a white shirt with a blue jeans vest, sunglasses and red hand shoes. On his left shoulder he was balancing a radio, and he was dancing to the rock music coming from it. 

**~ Whoa, he does look like a rock'n roller with this long white hair and his outfit... ~** Gohan thought, and the Grand Kai looked at him smirking. Obviously he had 'heard' that thought from Gohan, as had King Kai, who looked at him like he had just insulted a majesty.

The Grand Kai did not seem affected; he was rather smiling and danced to the rhythm of the music until he had reached them. King Kai was still bowing to him, and seconds later the Grand Kai put his radio on the ground and turned it out.

"Hey, guys! And hi Goku! I see you've brought your son with ya! Will he compete?" the Grand Kai asked.

  
  
Goku nodded.

"He surely will!" he said in the breast-note of confirmedness, smiling proudly. He had seen what his son could do, and that would surely be enough to pass the test...

Grand Kai nodded. He had expected no less.

"Good! But ya know, he'll have to pass the test! But if he fairs as good as you did back then when you were new, that shan't be a problem for him."

"What shan't be a problem?" a female voice asked from behind. They turned around to look at the speaker, and Gohan was surprised to see a woman with similar looks as King Kai, only that this woman had blonde hair and a skin colour similar to that of a human. And she had antennae... yeah, obviously another Kai.

"Oh, where are my manners... I am the Kai of the East galaxy, and this time _we_ will win!" she exclaimed.

"Only in your dreams!" another voice exclaimed, "for _we_ from the _South_ Galaxy will win this time!" a tall pink-faced Kai with pointed ears and earrings exclaimed. Obviously he was the South Kai...

"Hah! That's what only you think! _We_ will win, that's for sure! So says the _West_ Kai! For Pikkon will win _this_ time!" he exclaimed.

Gohan surveyed him. He was smaller in size than even King Kai, had a violet face and all the attributes of a Kai, except the antennae. Instead of those he had some strange kind of hair tuft on the middle of his head, and he wore a monocle in his right eye. And he was glaring at King Kai...

It became obvious quite fast that King Kai, the North Kai as Gohan knew by now, and this other Kai, the West Kai, did not like each other overly much. No, there was definitely no love lost between those two...

They gnashed their teeth and glared at each other.

"That's what you said last time. And the time before!" King Kai exclaimed.

"Hah! Pikkon has improved, and this time he will beat all of your fighters!" West Kai exclaimed.

King Kai found that hardly believable, and his facial expression made this all too clear.

  
  
However, before things could get out of hand the Grand Kai stepped in.

"Dudes, we will soon see who the best is. But before we will see if Son Gohan will be able to qualify himself for the tournament!"

Gohan was curious what this test would be. And he was also curious when he would see the other Z-Fighters again...

  
  
  
**to**** be continued...**

**  
  
**Thanks for reading! Please review!


	4. The test

**A/N: **Thanks, ppl! You motivated me greatly to finish another chapter soon (in my opinion^^).Keep me motivated^^  
  
**  
  
Marshmellow13Dragon**: Well, here you go...

btw: if I don't manage to update as often as you (or I would like), then it's due to the fact that I am planning and writing other stories. I'll soon publish a Hercule torture fic that you might like. But enough of my excuses^^...

  
  
**animeprincess1452**: Good to be back! Whoah, I will never use A/Ns or RRs again! And I am glad that you liked it! Your guess was very good...   

  
  
**DBZ Chick1**: Sometimes suspense can't be helped... I'll try to update as often as possible, but as said above, I've some more stories ongoing and do write other stories too...       

  
  
**Digi**** fan**: For the test, read and find out...

  
  
**Candy the Duck**: If it's okay then it's a good sign! *Wipessweatfrombrows*^^ 

  
  
**chris**: Thank you! Which level of SSJ Goku and Vegeta have reached will be displayed soon. As to your question if they will be wished back: that one is answered in one of my other stories, 'Setting things right'.        

**  
  
  
Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

  
  
  
**Chapter Four: The test**

**  
  
Last time...**

It became obvious quite fast that King Kai, the North Kai as Gohan knew by now, and this other Kai, the West Kai, did not like each other overly. No, there was definitely no love lost between those two...

They gnashed their teeth and glared at each other.

"That's what you said last time. And the time before!" King Kai exclaimed.

"Hah! Pikhan has improved, and this time he will beat all of your fighters!" West Kai exclaimed.

King Kai found that hardly believable, and his facial expression made this all too clear.

However, before things could get out of hand the Grand Kai stepped in.

"Dudes, we will soon see who the best is. But before we will see if Son Gohan will be able to qualify himself for the tournament!"

Gohan was curious what this test would be. And he was also curious when he would see the other Z-Fighters again...

  
  
  
**Now the continuation...**

To distract himself a bit he asked his dad if he could tell him some details of the 'life' in the afterlife and Goku agreed all too gladly. He only hoped that he remembered all the information that was important...  
"Sure, Gohan, ask!" he said and grinned.

Gohan nodded.

"Okay, dad. How many Kais are there?"

That was easy!

"Only these four." he said, and chose to explain the whole afterlife order to his son as good as he remembered it. "Well at least on their level. Think of it as a latter, son. On the bottom run is all of space. Higher is the Home for Infinite Losers and then Snake Way. At the next level are the planets of the four Kais who oversee their parts of the universe. And higher still, above the four Kais and all the rest is the planet of the Grand Kai. He is the highest as far as we know."

Gohan looked really impressed.

"Wow, I never thought something like this could exist. Intriguing."

His father nodded.

"Yeah, it is." he said, smiling.

  
  
By now all the other fighter who had before trained were assembled, and they were awaiting the Grand Kais speech. 

The Grand Kai cleared his throat and addressed the audience. He flashed a peace sign and began with his speech.

"You all know what awaits the winner of the 28th Afterlife Tournament... a gold medal and a private trainings lesson with me!" he announced.

The complete audience cheered. Wait, the complete audience?

"Hah! As if he could teach me anything!" a voice Gohan had not heard in a long time proclaimed. He turned around to look at the owner of this particular voice, and he was right! It really was Vegeta! And the complete rest of the Z-Gang! They were making their way over to Gohan and his father, and the assembled crowd hurried to give way to them. 

  
  
Gohan grinned. Vegeta had kept his reputation, even up here...

He looked around and was more than glad to see his old mentor Piccolo again. And it was quite hard for him to restrain the tears of joy in the face of this reunion, but he was a warrior and had to remain strong. His encounters and battles with the Androids had made that all too clear to him.

So he only allowed a smile to cross his features, as the Z-Gang draw near. They were all smiling (except Vegeta), and even Piccolo managed a smirk. Now the dead Z-Gang was standing before Goku and Gohan, and a spontaneous welcome party was being held. After all the 'Hellos' and 'Good to see you again, even if we are all dead' were exchanged, Gohan could not help but notice the increased power level of Piccolo, Vegeta and the others.

The humans had not grown as much stronger as the Namek and the Saiyans, but it was still very impressive. Apparently the training possibilities up here were not bad...

Vegeta surveyed Gohan in a way only another warrior would do. Naturally he was gauging Gohan's power level.

The prince of all Saiyans nodded some seconds later.

"You've become strong, brat. But apparently it was not enough!" he stated.

Gohan nodded, becoming slightly angry at the reminder of what he considered as his failures.

"Yeah. I was strong enough to deal with one of them, but I never managed to fight them alone, one on one. And Trunks had not become a Super Saiyan yet, so he could not help me either. And I would never have sacrificed him. Never!"

  
  
Vegeta nodded. He understood. And he was glad that Kakkarots' son had done it this way. His son should train and become stronger, and who knew, maybe _he_ would be the one to beat those darn tin cans...

"You did what you thought right, brat. A warrior must do that." he said and crossed his arms.

Gohan managed a semi-smile.

"Trunks _will_ find a way to deal with those two. He is smart, and he has a warrior's spirit. Sadly I can't train and guide him any more, but maybe that what I _could_ teach him will be enough..."

Vegeta smirked.

"If my son manages this it will be a proud day for all of us." he said, and this statement surprised the others greatly. Vegeta was showing pride in someone other than himself? His stay up here seemed to begin taking its toll on him...

Now Gohan had the time to talk with his old mentor, and he hugged Piccolo in a warriors hug. The Namek surveyed him.

"You've grown up into a fine warrior, Gohan, I can see that." he said, and a proud smile formed in his face.

Gohan nodded.

"Yeah, I became strong, but sadly it was not enough. Those two Androids together were simply too much for me alone to handle. And once they had had enough of me they did way of me. And I could do nothing to stop them. Damn it!" he said, and his KI began to react to his anger.

Already other fighters turned their heads towards him as they sensed his growing KI, and not few were surprised at the strength of this newcomer. But Gohan managed to bring himself under control again and took in some deep breaths.

  
  
Now that this 'crisis' was over the Grand Kai chose to continue. He quickly wiped the sweat from his brows while thinking

**~ Ooff, that was close! If he had released his true power he could have pulverized my beautiful house! ~**

Then he spoke again.

"Okay, follow the leader!" he said and got up from his throne. The assembled fighters did as ordered, but let the Z-Gang enter first. Yeah, apparently they _had_ a reputation up here...

The Grand Kai hopped through the building until they came to a large door.

"And stop!" he ordered, and Vegeta and Goku rolled their eyes. Like last time...

Seconds later he turned towards the door and waved his hands. The doors opened and he motioned them to follow.

  
  
His father and the others might have seen this before, but for Gohan it was breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking. The room they had entered seemed to open into the universe itself. Everywhere one looked planets, suns, asteroids and all different kinds of celestial bodies could be seen.

Gohan voiced his opinion of this sight.

"Wow!" he said.

The Grand Kai smiled. Goku had reacted in the same way.

"Okay, Gohan Son, if you want to participate in this tournament then you will have to pass the test." he said.

Gohan nodded.

"And what is this 'test'?" he asked.

"The same test your father and the others had to do, young man. Because you're so young and have not trained at all up here you have to proof that you are up to the challenge. You see, our East Kai here is a racing fan, and she uses every occasion she gets to race guys. If she wins, well, no tournament for ya, dude. If you win... well, that should be clear. Are you up to the challenge, dude?" he asked grinning.

  
  
Gohan nodded. That sounded easy enough.

"Sure!" he exclaimed, and suddenly he heard noises coming from his left side someone would have expected from a motorbike.

And really, to his left side, sitting on a red space-motorbike with Kai-symbols on it... sat East Kai!

The other Kais however shook their heads, and comments like

'Here she goes again...' or '_Must_ she do this every time?' could be heard. 

Gohan cracked his knuckles. He was ready...

East Kai let the motor howl, and Gohan readied himself for start. But before the start the Grand Kai explained the rules.

"First one to pass the finishing line wins!" he exclaimed and fetched a pistol from his pocket. He stuck one finger into his left ear and counted.

"Ready..." the participants readied themselves, "Set..." Gohan prepared himself to start and East Kai let the motor howl again, "GO!" Grand Kai exclaimed and gave the starting shot.

East Kai darted of like the devil on the run, and coursed through the asteroids like a starfish. Gohan followed suit and evaded the celestial bodies with ease. He was able to keep up with her until she pushed a certain button at her bike and disappeared. This startled Gohan and he began to zanzoken too. Soon they were even, but Gohan decided to take it up a notch. He raised his power level (not to Super Saiyan, he would spare this one for tournament), but high enough to go ahead of her.

And seconds later he was the first to cross the gate! He had won!

Mere seconds later the Grand Kai appeared before them.

"Congratulations, Gohan Son, you are the winner and are allowed to participate in the tournament." he said and hung a medal around Gohans neck.

  
  
Gohan smiled his first real smile in what he though an eternity, and thanked the Grand Kai.

The East Kai also congratulated him, but very reluctantly. 

"And again beaten..." she muttered and strutted away.

Gohan returned to his father and the other Z-Fighters, and they congratulated him to his victory.

Goku patted his son on the back and told him

"Well done, son! Ya know, I had to race her too, but in my case the _Grand_ Kai used this occasion to show off. And when the others came to the afterlife East Kai raced each and everyone, but each time she lost. That was a sight! Especially Vegetas race against her! She used this speed-up trick on him she used on you some minutes ago, and he simply had enough and turned Super Saiyan! In a sec he had passed the gate and waited there smirking for a very baffled East Kai! That was really something else! And very funny!" he said with his patented goofy grin.

Gohan smirked. Yeah, he could imagine...

  
  
  
**to**** be continued...**

**  
  
Thanks for reading! Please review!**

**  
  
Note**: another new story of mine will be published tomorrow. It's a Hercule torture fic (I know there must be billions, but I was in the mood^^), and maybe you'll like it...****


	5. Tournament begins

**  
**Note: I've decided to move the review answers to the bottom, so that you readers can read the story first. That purifies the chapters more in my opinion.

The next updates will take a while, for I am on vacation from 30th April to 16th May. But as I've posted updates to all my ongoing stories feel free to read and review them too. I've been told that they are not too bad...

**  
  
  
Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

  
  
  
**Chapter Five: Tournament begins**

  
  
  
**Last time...**

Gohan returned to his father and the other Z-Fighters, and they congratulated him to his victory.

Goku patted his son on the back and told him

"Well done, son! Ya know, I had to race her too, but in my case the Grand Kai used this occasion to show off. And when the others came to the afterlife East Kai raced each and everyone, but each time she lost. That was a sight! Especially Vegetas race against her! She used this speed-up trick on him she used on you some minutes ago, and he simply had enough and turned Super Saiyan! In a sec he had passed the gate and waited there smirking for a very baffled East Kai! That was really something else! And very funny!" he said with his patented goofy grin.

Gohan smirked. Yeah, he could imagine...

  
  
  
**Now the continuation...**

Finally it was time! The 28th afterlife tournament was to be held. And the place _where_ it should be held was really strange: a weird shaped asteroid near the Grand Kais planet. 

It rather looked like a giant stalactite than anything else, but due to its enormous size it had more than enough space to host a tournament of the upcoming dimensions. 

The surface had been turned into an arena not unlike the ones that had been used in the Tenekaichi Budokais down on Earth. It was a giant coliseum, and thousands of spectators could not wait for the begin of the tournament.

The different Kais had their fighters assembled around them. East Kai was holding her usual speech of 'We must win! Or all of you will be grounded for another millennium of training!', while the South Kai said 'Remember what we talked about? Slow and steady!" to his assembled fighters, a strange looking crowd full of beings Gohan had never seen before. 

For example a giant bear, several strange looking humanoids and even a giant inchworm. Yeah, that would be interesting...

  
  
Gohan looked around and saw also some humans among the spectators. Good, some homelike spectators too...

Well, what he did not know was the fact, that among these humans were the former martial artist Hercule Satan, who had been brutally killed by the Androids, and his daughter Videl, who had died trying to avenge her dad.

She did not know what it was, but something urged her to turn her attention towards this totally uninteresting and seemingly worn-out young man, who was assumingly two years older than she was. 

There was something about him she could not yet grasp...

"Videl!" her father boasted, "are you looking at this scrawny punk?" he asked, following his daughters gaze.

**~ Oh no! Here he goes again... ~** she thought, rolling her eyes.

"Dad, am I not allowed looking at who- or whatever I want? I am old enough to decide on my own!" she admonished him.

Well, that was something she should _not_ have said...

"What! So you _are_ looking at this scrawny punk! I forbid you to so ever again! He is a _weakling_, one can _see_ that!" he exclaimed.

Videl shook her head. Now it did not matter to her any more that he would start a rant, for she would do so first.

"Dad, have you learned _nothing_ up here? Looks are not everything and are in most cases deceiving! Did those Androids who killed you and me look any impressive? No, they didn't!! But they killed us with ease! So don't judge a person because of his or her looks!! And now shut up!" she exclaimed.

The baffled Hercule Satan sank back into his seat, and all around him the other spectators snickered. Well, he had not seen it coming...

  
  
Down in the tournament grounds Gohan smirked. Due to his excellent Saiyan sense of hearing he had heard the entire conversation of this 'Videl' and her dad, and he was impressed by the fire this young woman possessed. Yeah, she was cute...

**~ Damn it Son Gohan, concentrate on this tournament! ~** he admonished himself, but he had harsh difficulties to get the picture of this beautiful black-haired and blue-eyed woman out of his mind...

Exactly at this moment a little guy, who looked like a mushroom with a human body, started the announcement. 

"Ladies, gentleman and everything in between... the tournament will now begin. In celebration of the Grand Kais 10 billionth birthday!" he exclaimed.

The audience clapped, and the Grand Kai winked.

"Thanks, dudes! Remember, I want you all to fight clean, but above all, fight like the furies and give us something to cheer for!" he exclaimed, and the assembled audience hailed their approvement.

The mushroom-guy continued.

"Thank you, Grand Kai. And now to the rules of the tournament!" he said, while two strange beings brought in a blackboard. "Due to the fact that this time a large amount of fighters will participate preliminaries will be held to select those fighters who will fight in the main tournament. Each of the four quadrants will be allowed to send in four fighters into the main tournament. Who these fighters will be is to be determined now! But now to the rules: if you fall out of the ring, start to cry or give up you lose the match! And poking in the eye or hitting below the belt are playing mean and not allowed. The winner of the main tournament will receive a gold medal and a private training lesson with the Grand Kai! Each Kai is allowed to select eight fighters, among which the four strongest will be determined who will then represent their quadrants during the tournament!" 

  
  
Cheers could be heard from the crowd, and after they abated the announce guy continued.

"Last times finales participants, Son Goku from the North quadrant and Pikkon from the West quadrant are already qualified. The rest of you guys still have to. Now to the first fight! The North quadrant is to start. First match is Gohan Son versus Ulibu!" the announcer exclaimed.

King Kai had already chosen the four strongest fighters of his, Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan and a very tall human named Ulibu. Now they had to determine which two fighters would be the strongest...

Gohan nodded and cracked his knuckles. He had not fought humans in a long time, but he had gotten a lot stronger since the days he had back then.

Gohan stepped into the ring, and Ulibu did the same from the opposite site. The smile he wore told Gohan 'I will not be an easy victim!', and Gohan nodded. He had understood...

  
  
They got into fighting stance, and seconds later the Grand Kai gave the signal. The battle had begun...

Ulibu launched himself straight at Gohan and aimed a punch for his nose, but Gohan had his guard up and blocked this punch easily. He decided not to go Super unless he needed, but he however decided to end this match as quickly as possible. After all, he wanted to commence with the real thing...

So he zanzokened out of sight and reappeared behind Ulibu. 

This move coming from the 'weakling' startled a certain human spectator very much, and his daughter gave him a look that said 'See, didn't I tell you?'

Gohan aimed an elbow-check for Ulibus neck, but the tall human fighter had his guard up, too. 

He blocked the punch that would most probably have rendered him unconscious and upped the anti by hitting Gohan as hard as he could into the stomach.

He penetrated Gohans defences, but it seemed as if he had hit a solid steel wall. And it had as much effect. None whatsoever.

**~ Man, just _how_ strong is he? ~** Ulibu managed to think before he felt a sharp pain in the jaw and was sent flying up into the air.

Unnoticed to the human fighter Gohan had moved a fast uppercut (too fast for him to see) and sent him flying. 

  
  
Ulibu recovered fast, for he had obviously thought that this newcomer would be an easy victim. So he concentrated an augmented his power level with this strange young man.

He roared and aimed a fast punch for Gohans face, but the young man simply caught his fist and waved his hand away. Gohan then countered Ulibus attack with a punch of his own, but Ulibu blocked this one with ease.

They exchanged blows and kicks at jackhammer speed, and none of them was able to gain the upper hand. 

The combatatns were moving so fast that they seemed to become blurs to the audience, and only very few people were able to keep track of them.

Goku, who was standing besides King Kai, smiled proudly. Yeah, his son was strong...

  
  
The shockwaves from the blows that were being dealt by Ulibu and Gohan made the whole coliseum shake, and their power was enormous. 

Quite a few fighters from the other quadrants asked themselves what they had gotten themselves into...

From time to time either Gohan or Ulibu reappeared in the 'real time', and on one occasion Gohan managed to land a hard blow to Ulibus chest. 

Ulibu staggered back and chose to use one of his favourite attacks on this newcomer. A homing KI-blast...

He gathered the necessary energy within seconds and launched the KI-blast at Gohan. The young Saiyan saw it coming and managed to avoid the blast by blasting high up into the air and the 'space' above. 

However, the blast followed him suit, and Gohan recognized it as what it was: a homing blast!

Gohan managed to evade the blast another time, and it destroyed one of the celestial bodies instead. 

But the blast kept coming, and Gohan had no other choice but to show how strong he really was. He raised his KI to the full power he had in his normal Saiyan state and created a KI-shield. 

Ulibus eyes widened once he witnessed the extent of this young fighters powers, and silently he wondered if he would be able to win against this young man. 

Meanwhile the blast had impacted into Gohans KI-shield and exploded there harmlessly.

After the light from the explosion had cleared one could see a smoking but smiling Gohan. Yeah, that was fun! 

But he decided to take the fight up a notch...

  
  
Ulibu however did not give up that easily and flew straight at him with a battle cry. He aimed his punch for Gohans stomach, but Gohan blocked this one with ease. 

And again the fighters began to disappear. Seconds later however Ulibu reappeared, but not the way he had planned.

Gohan had punched him very hard in the face, faster than he had seen it coming and this punch send him straight towards another celestial body and pushed him right trough.

Gohan then raised his KI and reappeared in Ulibus flight path. A quick double fisted blow at full strength sent the human back to the ring down below again where he created a nice impact crater. 

The crowd cheered its approval, and by now a certain Hercule Satan was buy-eyed. He had seen before what this tall guy could do (he had challenged him unwisely and paid big time) but this scrawny punk made short work of him! What was he??!

  
  
Ulibu managed to stagger to his feet and pulled all of his remaining strength together.

**~ Time to show off my new move... ~** he thought and then he glowed golden. Suddenly two Ulibus stood where before only one had stood.

Gohan smirked.

**~ Ahh, the good old body duplication trick... ~** he thought, before he took a look at the Ulibus KIs. **~ What! They are the same! ~ **he thought startled. **~ Just how in the world... ~** Gohan managed to think before the Ulibus launched themselves at him and decked him with a barrage of kicks and punches. 

The crowd cheered at this display of the Ulibus, but Gohan managed to block each attack thrown at him with ease. 

Sure, one of the two Ulibus separated were as strong as the original, but they were still no match for him. Not even in his basic Saiyan level.

He began to put more energy into his punches, and soon he was able to overwhelm the defences of the tall human fighters. 

Gohan zanzokened behind one of them and punched him right into the other that came flying at him. They collided with full force and were sent flying backwards. 

Gohan cut back and overtook them with ease. Then he kicked one Ulibu down to the ground and punched the other straight after. The Ulibus crashed into the ground and remained lying in the impact crater they had created. 

To be on the safe site Gohan fired a KI-blast into the crater that was strong enough to render them unconscious.

None of them managed to stagger back to their feet this time, and seconds later they merged into one unconscious Ulibu.

Gohan touched down besides the other North quadrant fighter.

"Sorry I had to put you lights out, comrade." he said.

Then he was declared winner by the alien announcer guy. Yeah, he would participate in the main tournament. Suddenly he had a strange feeling in the back of his head, as if someone was watching him intently. Odd...

  
  
And really, someone had watched him with more intensity than all the others, and this person was a young human woman named Videl Satan, who could simply not believe what she had seen during the past minutes. Not only was this guy _cute_, but he was also very _strong_! Unbelievably strong!

**~ Hmm, I guess I'm falling for this Son Gohan... ~** she thought, while her father was still bug-eyed from what he had just seen. This was the first time he had seen a fight like that, for he had only been allowed to watch the tournament now for the first time. But seeing something like that was something else. And he had thought he was the best martial artist...

  
  
**to**** be continued...**

**  
  
**Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading, and please review!

**---*---**

**  
  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES:**

**  
  
chris**: Glad you liked it! There will be a lot of fighting in the tournament; that is for sure! As for your suggestion of a heaven vs. hell tournament: I did not plan on that one, but it's a good suggestion! Maybe I'll write a fic heaven vs. hell, and the prize will be one day on Earth or something like that...           

  
  
**animeprincess1452**: Yeah, East Kai really is annoying, and in difference to the series I wanted Gohan to beat her, to show her her limits. As for the update, here you go^^          

  
  
**Goten's**** Girl12**: You're right, this story focuses a lot on Gohan, but there will be more Z-Gang action later on.

  
  
**Z-Man**: Yeah, and Gohan misses his mother a lot, too. But you're right; she's in a better place...    

  
  
**DBZ Chick1**: Thanks! Here you go!

  
  
**Marshmellow13Dragon**: That he did. And being as good as he is, the test was no problem for him. And now... the tournament begins!

  
  
**Digi**** fan:** Glad you liked it! Here you go...

  
  
**Candy the Duck: ***blush* thanks! I try to keep the story original and interesting, and I like to think I succeed in doing so...

                ****


	6. Who will fight who?

I am back from a wonderful vacation / honeymoon with my wife! And a big thanks to all my reviewers! I am glad to see that I am still R&Red (as usual, the Review answers are at the bottom); now, without much further ado on with the story!

Note: Due to some 'improvements' ff.net has obviously made during my vacation all my story formatings have gone to HFIL. Additionally text is marked as fat I never marked this way. Until the problem is solved you'll have to live with those formatings. AND, apparently ff.net has disabled the use of special characters in the documents, for I can't use the signs I used for telepathy / thoughts any more. That also goes for smileys, sadly. If anyone has an idea how these new rules work and why those special characters can't be used any more (or if they can), please tell me in the reviews.

Now these means telepathy / thoughts**  
  
  
  
Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**Chapter Six: Who will fight who?****Last time...**

And really, someone had watched with more intensity than all the others, and this person was a young human woman named Videl Satan, who could simply not believe what she had seen during the past minutes. Not only was this guy _cute_, but he was also very _strong_! Unbelievably strong!

** Hmm, I guess I'm falling for this Son Gohan... ** she thought, while her father was still bug-eyed from what he had just seen. This was the first time he had seen a fight like that, for he had only been allowed to watch the tournament now for the first time. But seeing something like that was something else. And he had thought _he_ was the best martial artist...

**Now the continuation...**

The preliminaries for the main tournament continued, and the East quadrant was next to find out who would represent them in the tournament.

It turned out during the preliminaries that an amphibious creature, a frog, a blue haired guy and a midget were the fastest and strongest and would represent the East quadrant.

The West quadrant had, as the North quadrant, only to choose three more fighters, as Goku as the winner of the last tournament and Pikkon as the second winner were automatically qualified. A giant dinosaur, an ape and a cat like creature were their other fighters.

The South quadrants best fighters were a bear like creature, a speedster, a creature that looked like an orgre and a very tall lizard-like creature.

They were rather known for their speed, but speed was not everything that counted in a fight...

But the third and fourth fighter of the North quadrant had still to be determined. After short fights (Vegeta and Piccolo proved much to the delight of King Kai just how strong they had become) Vegeta and Piccolowere declared the third and fourth fighter of the tournament.

Then the alien announcer guy stepped into the ring.

"Ladies, gentleman and everything in between, now will be determined who will fight who. As all the fighters who will represent their quadrants in this great tournament have been chosen, we can now begin. The tournament brackets will be decided _now_!"

And then the drawing began. Pikkon got the number one, and he would fight the lizard like creature from the South quadrant who had drawn # 2.

Gohan draw the number three, and he would fight in the second fight of the tournament. His opponent, number 4, turned out to be the amphibious creature his father had fought against in his first Afterlife Tournament.

The third fight would consist of a blue-haired guy named Alamba from the East quadrant, who had drawn the number 5, and he would fight the cat-like creature from the West quadrant.

Goku, the winner of the last two Afterlife Tournaments, had drawn number seven, and he would fight the orgre-like creature from the South quadrant who had had the bad luck of being number eight...

The fifth fight would be West quadrant, represented by an winged ape, against the East quadrant, for which a bearded midget would fight.

Piccolo had drawn number eleven, and he would be up against a fighter from the South quadrant, a dangerous looking bear-like creature.

Number thirteen, a speedster from the South quadrant, would be fighting a frog-like creature from the East quadrant.

And, last but not least, Vegeta would be fighting a Dinosaur-like creature from the West quadrant.

The spectators already pitied the poor Dinosaur, for they knew what Vegeta would do with him. They had seen what Vegeta was capable of in the last tournament.

The Saiyan prince had only been stopped by Pikkon in the semi-finales, and this only due to an unexpected attack. They were anxious to see how he would fare now...

The alien announcer guy stepped up in the ring again.

"Ladies, gentleman and in between, the fights have been determined!" he said, and the two guys who had rolled in the blackboard with the rules of the tournament before rolled in another blackboard with the tournament brackets.

Clearly visible written on it was:

_1) __Pikkon__ (West quadrant)  vs. S'Raz (South quadrant)  
  
_

_2) __Gohan (North quadrant) vs. T'Nass (East quadrant)  
  
_

_3) __Alamba__ (East quadrant) vs. Neko (West quadrant)  
  
_

_4) __Goku (North quadrant) vs. A'Raskar (South quadrant)  
  
_

_5) __Boldo__  (West quadrant) vs. Jabadai (East quadrant)  
  
_

_6) __Piccolo (North quadrant) vs. Arrar (South quadrant)  
  
_

_7) __Tantar__  (South quadrant) vs. Maraiako (East quadrant)  
  
_

_8) __Vegeta (North quadrant) vs. A'Rau (West quadrant)  
  
_

_  
  
_The alien announcer guy looked at the crowd and grinned.

"Now to the first fight! It's Pikkon, last times second best, versus S'Raz!"

The fighters entered the tournament from opposing sides, and Gohan was fully concentrated. He wanted to know what this Pikkon could do, for according to his dad he had to be very good...

The crowd cheered and Grand Kai gave his sign, and the fight started!

Pikkon was still wearing his weighted clothing, and the audience knew what would happen when he saw reason to take them off...

Pikkon opened the fight!

"Arrhhhh!" he screamed, and his aura blew his opponent S'Raz nearly out of the ring. It was becoming clear that S'Raz was no match for Pikkon, but they had to give him credit for the fact that he did not simply throw in the towel.

S'Raz tried to put up a fight, but each kick or punch he shot at Pikkon was blocked with ease. Pikkon simply fazed out of sight and appeared behind S'Raz, and his elbow to the neck of S'Raz was nearly enough to render the South quadrant fighter unconscious.

S'Raz staggered back to his claws and decided to up the anti. He started beating with his aerofoil, and seconds later he began zooming through the ring.

Yeah, South quadrant fighters were known for their speed, but speed is not all that matters in a fight. S'Raz threw super fast punches at Pikkon, but Pikkon was not impressed in the slightest.

He dodged and blocked each punch with ease, and S'Raz began to tire soon. He was no match for Pikkon...

Pikkon was not the one to toy around with an opponent or show off, so he simply kicked him out of the ring.

That was naturally as expected and once the alien announcer guy grabbed the mike and declared Pikkon winner the crowd cheered.

The next fight would be Gohan, the tournaments newcomer, versus T'Nass, the amphibian fighter from the East quadrant. The crowd was anxious to see how the newcomer would fare against the battle tested and clever fighter.

But they should find out soon...

**to**** be continued...**

**  
°° Now the fights will really begin! Gohan versus T'Nass, the rookie in this tournament versus a battle-tested opponent! Who will win? Stay tuned! Please R&R! °°******

**  
****- - ° - - **

**  
****REVIEWERS RESPONSES:**

**  
****Goten's**** Girl12**: Glad that you like it! If Gohan and Videl will come together remains to be seen...  

**  
  
Digi fan**: Thank you! And the next match will include... you guessed it... Gohan!

**  
  
chris**: Your idea is good! I love to write fighting scenes, and I am glad that you like em!  

**  
  
animeprincess1452**: Oh yeah, Hercule is a pain in the ass most of the time, but Videl gave him a good dressing down, heh. She will show him...

**  
  
DBZ Chick1**: Thanks! Gohan _will_ kick some ass, starting in the next chapter...

**  
  
Marshmellow13Dragon**: I felt I had to include Videl and Hercule in there. I am glad that you like the idea, and Videl will play a role in this story. And I am honoured to be on your favourite list! Thanks!             

**  
  
Candy the Duck**: As this is my story I can say... definitely yes!


	7. Gohan vs T Nass!

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**Chapter Seven: Gohan vs. T'Nass!**

**  
  
Last time...**

Pikkon was not the one to toy around with an opponent or show off, so he simply kicked him out of the ring.

That was naturally as expected and once the alien announcer guy grabbed the mike and declared Pikkon winner the crowd cheered.

The next fight would be Gohan, the tournaments newcomer, versus T'Nass, the amphibian fighter from the East quadrant. The crowd was anxious to see how the newcomer would fare against the battle tested and clever fighter.

But they should find out soon...

**Now the continuation...**

"Ladies, gentleman and everything in between, now we'll see the fight of Gohan from the North quadrant and T'Nass from the East quadrant! Now we'll see what this young  newcomer is capable off! He's beaten East Kai in her test, he's the Son of the last two tournaments winner Son Goku and he looks like he's determined to show us what he can do!" the alien announcer guy exclaimed.

Meanwhile Gohan was cracking his knuckles. Yeah, finally a fight with rules against fighters who honoured the thought that stood behind fights, and not soulless machines who only sought to kill and destroy...

** Trunks! ** suddenly shot trough his mind, ** I hope you're doing good down there, my friend, I promise that I'll get stronger and be prepared if we should ever be wished back. Just don't lose hope! ** he thought, and his determination to do his best in this tournament increased even.

The fighter in him, his Saiyan side enjoyed the prospect of the upcoming fights, and he would do his best! He would not fail again!

In the spectators seats a young human woman was hanging after her own thoughts of this young man.

** So he is the son of Son Goku! I've never seen Son Goku fight, but as far as I know he won quite a few tournaments... **Videl Satan thought.

She had read everything that had been available on martial arts, including everything she could get her hands on about the Tenkaichi boudokais. So this Son Gohan came from a family of fighters, as it looked...

Videl was anxious to see what this young man could really do. What he had shown of his capabilities and abilities in his first fight had been breath taking, and she wondered what else he could do.

Gohan was currently talking to his dad, and the way he stood there impressed her. He had the attitude of a warrior now, he was completely concentrated, that she could tell.

She herself had been trained in the art of martial arts and fighting, and she had thought before she had been killed by those Androids that she was pretty good.

And she knew when she saw a good fighter, and Son Gohan seemed to be an outstanding fighter. Silently she wondered how he had been killed...

Down in tournament grounds...

Goku and Gohan were now standing side by side, and Goku tried to give his son some tips for his first afterlife tournament.

"Son," he began, "I don't know much about your opponent as I never fought him before, but don't hold back against any of them. Most train since thousands of years, and besides, they have already seen that we can transform into Super Saiyans. Vegeta and I have done it before, so show them what you've got!" he finished and patted his son on the back, smiling his goofy Son grin Gohan had missed so much.

Unconsciously Gohan mirrored this smile, and seconds later it was replaced by a look of grim determination.

"I will, dad. I will show them what a Son can do!" he said, and it sounded like a promise. Then he walked towards the ring.

Goku nodded. He was glad that this tournament was being held, for it could help his son to overcome what he had experienced on Earth.

What he had told him about the deeds of the Androids was terrible, and he hoped that a tournament with so many fighters competing in it would show him that there were people who fought just for the sport of it, not for shear survival.

Sure, fighting was sometimes necessary in order to ensure survival, but Goku had always liked it better to compete in a fight rather than to kill. He had only done it if it had been absolutely necessary...

And he had sensed that during their training _Vegeta_ had changed, too.

He was not the cold-hearted Saiyan prince he had been, and Goku was not sure what had caused this change, but he was glad that the Saiyan prince did not see him as his enemy he had to better any more, rather than a comrade with whom he could compete.

Yeah, they would be prepared if they should ever be wished back...

Well, who knew, maybe Vegetas son Trunks would be able to give the world they had left a better future. Maybe he would be the one who could set things right...

Gohan had reached the ring and jumped into it.

"Yeah, I'm ready." he exclaimed and flexed his muscles.

From the other side of the ring his opponent T'Nass came walking in. Or rather scuffing in.

Silently Gohan wondered how strong this being could actually be.

** Cmon, he seems to have barely enough energy to walk upright! ** he thought as he surveyed his opponent.

King Kai came running to the boundaries of the ring, and cheered him on.

"Come on, Gohan, I know you can beat him! Show him what you've got!" he exclaimed.

AT the same time East Kai cheered her fighter on, but her methods were slightly different from King Kais...

"If you lose, T'Nass, you'll spend another 500 years of training! So go and beat this little rookie! And don't make me look bad! Everybody is watching!"

After that was said Grand Kai gave the sign. The battle was on!

Gohan instantly fazed out of sight. He had taken the words of his father to heart, he would not take it easy just because his opponent looked like a weakling.

The audience gasped. Seldom had they seen someone this fast! Gohan reappeared right in front of T'Nass who tried to protect himself from Gohans attack, but Gohans fist was much quicker!

He landed his punch with deadly accuracy under T'Nass' jaw, and the Amphibian was sent high into the air. Gohan had put a lot of strength into his punch, and T'Nass was sent onto a prolonged 'space flight'.

** Hmm, this guy seems to be really weak... ** Gohan thought as he saw how far T'Nass flew.

East Kai did not take it so well that the rookie, even so he was the Son of Son Goku, the last two tournaments winner, had such a free field.

"T'Nass, use your special power! Now!" she screamed, and Gohan wondered what exactly she meant by this.

** Hmm, maybe there is more to the guy than I thought? ** Gohan mused, while the audience (and a young human girl who was admiring the powerful body this Son Gohan had) was waiting what T'Nass would do...

Suddenly T'Nass stopped his uncontrolled flight trough the 'space' above and halted. Then his eyes began to glow golden, and Gohan wondered what he was about to do...

** What da... ** was all he managed to think, before T'Nass unleashed waves of energy that were aimed at the tournament ring.

A blinding light filled the ring, and when it cleared it became obvious what T'Nass had done! The ring that had formerly been a normal stone field was now a water cube!

Somehow T'Nass had been able to turn the whole ring into water!

** Oh no! ** Videl Satan thought, ** how shall he fight in there? ** while she was chomping at her fingernails. She did not know what, but there was something around that young fighter that attracted her greatly...

And she hoped that he would not be harmed!

Meanwhile said young man was having trouble. Seconds before he had stood on firm ground, and then he had suddenly floated in water!

Right now he was thankful for his Saiyan heritage, for he could hold his breath much much longer than other beings. Up to 30 minutes if necessary.

Due to his intelligence he had understood what this guy had done.

** Naturally! He is an Amphibian and was disadvantaged through the normal tournament environment! So he just changed it into better conditions for him! Clever... **

** Now I've only to find a way to fight him properly, for he will have huge advantages here... **

T'Nass, who hovered above grinned. He was sure that he had the full advantage now, and he was determined to use it!

He flew towards the ring and practically jumped into the ring. Yeah, he was in his element! Here he was unbeatable, for his strength and speed were increased magnificently in his natural environment.

This young rookie might be strong, but in here he would be outmatched!

T'Nass circled around his opponent, and then he attacked! He sent a barrage of kicks and punches at Gohan, but the demi-Saiyan was able to block all of them.

But then T'Nass used his superior speed and attacked him from behind. He managed to land a punch that drove Gohan forwards, and T'Nass made a wide circle in order to have a good start-up.

That was however when Gohan decided that he had had enough.

** Okay, he has had his fun. Now I'll get mine... **he thought and started to power up.

Suddenly a white aura surrounded Gohan, and soon this aura began to change. Then his hair began to stand on end and his aura changed completely to a blinding gold. His eyes turned turquoise and his muscles bulged, and in the blink of an eye he had used his speed advantage that came with the power up and was out of the ring.

He instantly fired a Masenko into the water-turned ring, and the impact his favourite signature attack made was quite gigantic.

Tons of water were thrown high into the air, and the surprised T'Nass who had still been looking just where his opponent had disappeared to all of a sudden was taken up high into the air with the water and landed very ruggedly on his butt.

Outside the ring...

The ring had turned into stone again, and seconds later Gohan landed swiftly inside of the ring, still in his Super Saiyan form.

The alien announcer guy looked at T'Nass.

"He's out of the ring! The winner of this round is Son Gohan!" he exclaimed.

The entire crowd cheered, but one young human woman even more than the rest, much to the displeasure of a certain father of this young woman.

But this did not matter to Videl Satan. She liked what she had seen. He had put up a superb battle. To top it all, he had somehow transformed himself! Wow, she had to meet this special young man!

Meanwhile Gohan waved at the crowd, and suddenly he caught the look of a pair of azure-blue eyes. Those eyes belonged to the young woman who had seemed to be so interested in him before, and he caught himself as he smiled at her.

** Man, what's up with me? ** he thought.

**_ You like her! _** another voice said.

** Like her? I don't even know her! **

**_ Then go change that! She's a darn eyecatcher! _** the first voice said.

Gohan shook his head and pretended to be cleaning his ears from all the water, while his thoughts were evolving around this young woman.

"She surely _is_ an eyecatcher..." he muttered to himself, "my voices are right, I've gotta come to know her! But after the fights are over..."

Gohan then walked over towards the other fighters of the North quadrant and received their congrats. His father patted him on the back and smiled proudly at him. Yeah, he had survived his first baptism of fire...

**to**** be continued...**

**  
== Ah, the joys of Gohan and Videl... who knows, maybe they'll come together here too... Please R&R! It always makes me soooo happy =) ==**

And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx!

Oh, and sorry if some things seem a bit whack with the formattings, but that new quick-edit-thing is a real pain in the a°°! Nothing fits as it did before, no use of special characters any more and and and... they should change it right away! Hope the chappie was readable, though...

****

******REVIEWERS RESPONSES:**

****

Goten's Girl12: You're right, as some basic conditions were set in the last chappie and some minor fighting. Hope you liked the fighting scenes in this one!

Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: Thanks, and it's good to be back. I had a very good vacation/honeymoon, so much is for sure! As for your question: see the mail...     

Digi fan: Cool you liked it. Here's the next... 

Marshmellow13Dragon: It's not clear yet who Gohan's opponent will be, but you can be sure that it will be one hell of a fight. And no offence taken, it _was_ boring due to story develepmomt...         

DBZ Chick1: He will, believe me! Hope you liked this one...     

animeprincess1452: Glad you liked it! Here's the update...        


	8. Goku's fight

Note: I've a day off tomorrow (no lectures, the prof is ill), so if you give me some motivation (remember: reviews = motivation) I might be able to write the next fight till Friday...**  
  
  
Welcome to the afterlife, son! **

**  
  
Chapter Eight: Goku's fight**

**  
  
Last time...**

Gohan shook his head and pretended to be cleaning his ears from all the water, while his thoughts were evolving around this young woman.

"She surely _is_ an eyecatcher..." he muttered to himself, "my voices are right, I've gotta come to know her! But after the fights are over..."

Gohan then walked over towards the other fighters of the North quadrant and received their congrats. His father patted him on the back and smiled proudly at him. Yeah, he had survived his first baptism of fire...

**  
  
Now the continuation... **

Gohan and the others were now standing outside the ring and wanted to watch the next fight. It would be the East quadrant versus the West quadrant, and already the alien announcer guy stepped into the ring again.

"Ladies, gentleman and everything in between, and now we have Alamba from the East quadrant" he pointed at a blue-haired guy, "versus Neko from the West quadrant!" he exclaimed.

The crowd cheered, but most of them for Alamba, the blue-haired guy from the East quadrant.

Apparently Neko, the cat-like fighter from the West quadrant was not overly like here, and regarding his threatening looks that was easy...

But Gohan had learned long ago not to judge a person not by his or her looks alone, so he waited until the fight would begin to form a view on Neko for himself.

The alien announcer guy looked at Grand Kai, who then gave the signal. The fight was on!

Instantly Alamba and Neko disappeared, but they were not as fast as Gohan would have expected. He had no problems to follow them, even in his normal form.

Neko had extended his claws and clearly wanted to use them to his advantage, but Alamba was not intrigued in the slightest.

He blocked blow for blow, and apparently his skin was hard enough not to be harmed by Nekos' claws.

Suddenly they reappeared again, and then Neko jumped at Alamba with extended claws and tusks. Alamba seemed to be stunned, but then he disappeared at the last possible moment.

He reappeared behind Neko and kicked him in the back. The kick was strong enough to send him to the opposing side of the ring.

Neko regained his composure fast, and this manoeuvre from his opponent had made him angry. Gohan could sense his KI rise as it was obviously reacting to his anger, but it was rather weak.

Gohan did not know if Neko could sense KI, but if he could he would have known that he was outmatched.

Alamba was clearly the stronger of the two combatants, but not so strong that Gohan could not have beaten him.

Gohan focused his view on the ring again, and at that moment Neko launched another head on attack on Alamba. Again at the last moment possible Alamba stepped to the side and dealt a blow to Nekos neck.

The cat-like fighter was forced to one knee, but seconds later he sprang to his feet and hissed.

** Okay, this fight is soon over... ** Gohan thought, ** this Neko is loosing his focus and plays Alamba directly into the cards... **

And so it was. Neko jumped at Alamba in order to kick him, but this time Alamba rather decided to end this fight then to toy around.

While Neko was still in the air Alamba demonstrated his superior speed and jump-kicked Neko in the chest. The force of this kick send the cat-like fighter flying out of the ring were he landed against the concrete, knocked out cold.

The alien announcer guy stepped into the ring.

"And the winner is... Alamba!" he declared, and the crowd cheered.

Gohan smiled. If he had to face this Alamba in the next round he'd supposedly have a free walk...

After the winner had been declared Goku smiled at his son.

"Now it's my turn." he said and clapped his hand.

And sure enough, seconds later the alien announcer guy announced the next fight.

"And now to a fighter we have all been waiting for, as he has won the last two tournaments... let's hear it for Son Goku!"

Goku walked towards the ring and smiled, then jumped up into the ring in one fluid move.

Yeah, that was his dad, always eager to fight. And it had been a long time since he had seen his father fight. He wondered how much his dad had improved up here...

"Show him what a Saiyan is capable of, Kakkarot." came from behind. Gohan turned around, and there stood Vegeta, arms crossed and smirking.

Hmm, that was odd. The former so cold and arrogant Saiyan prince wished one of his former enemies actually good luck...

** Man, he must have really changed up here! ** Gohan thought.

Yeah, Vegeta had changed, and that was very much due to the fact that Kakkarot had agreed to train with him after he had been brutally killed by the Androids.

He actually knew that Kakkarot had talked King Yemma into giving Vegeta permission to train here rather then be sent to hell, but he kept this knowledge secret.

Vegeta did not want to show it, but actually he was very thankful towards Kakkarot. He had heard of hell, and had it not been for Kakkarot he would have been powerless down there. Down in hell, one could not become stronger through a beating...

He could not have done anything to become stronger; all hope to become better in order to be prepared would have been lost.

And he had been glad to be able to train with Kakkarot, and the results from their training were remarkable. They had grown a lot in power, and Vegeta was quite sure that they could beat the Androids should they be wished back anytime soon.

Vegeta knew now what for a kind of fighter Kakkarot really was. He knew now where he drew his strength from. It came from the heart, a heart that loved his wife and his son, and deep down inside Vegeta had made way for his feelings towards Bulma and Trunks.

But he would never admit it to anyone! He was not ready for that, yet...

Meanwhile Goku was standing in the ring. He had heard what Vegeta had said, and he was smiling. In former times Vegeta would never have said something like that, but Vegeta _had_ changed. And that for the better...

But then Goku concentrated on the upcoming fight, as his opponent, a tall, bulky orgre with brown skin entered the ring.

He was a head taller than Goku, but Goku knew from experience that size was nothing without strength.

"And here comes A'Raskar from the South quadrant!" the alien announcer guy exclaimed.

Goku and A'Raskar surveyed each other and nodded. Then they dropped into a stance.

The alien announcer guy looked at the Grand Kai, and then the signal was given. The fight had begun!

And Goku wasted no time as he zanzokened out of sight. He reappeared behind A'Raskar and kicked him in the back.

The ogre was sent flying, but caught himself in mid-air and fired a KI-Blast at Goku.

Goku deflected it with ease and fazed out of sight again. This time he reappeared right in front of A'Raskar and decked him with a series of punches and kicks.

The intensity of Gokus attacks increased, and soon A'Raskar was not able to hold up his defences. One punch that was aimed for the abdomen went through, and A'Raskar staggered back.

He recovered fast and jumped into the air, and the whole crowd took their breaths. Especially a young human woman was anxious to see what the father of this lovable young man could do...

Obviously A'Raskar gathered energy for something, but Goku just stood there and waited.

The South galaxy fighter A'Raskar was nearly finished gathering the energy...

while Goku just stood on the ground with a look of anticipation on his face.

Then A'Raskar launched the attack!

"Wind of Pain!" he howled, and a large purple beam left his palms.

While the audience still held their breaths Goku only smiled. He would end this now.

"KA...ME...HA...ME...HAAAA!" he exclaimed, and the gigantic blue wave that was his favourite signature attack exited his palms and flew towards the purple beam.

The beams collided in mid-air, and after a brief moment of struggle the kamehame-ha wave quickly gained the 'upper hand' and flew straight at A'Raskar.

The alien only had time to exclaim an

"Oh shit..."

before the wave hit him head-on.

Goku had been carefully not to make it too strong, and so the beam only knocked A'Raskar out cold. The South galaxy fighter fell from the sky and crashed into the ring, were he remained laying in an impact crater.

After he did not get up the alien announcer guy walked into the ring.

"And Goku is the winner by knock-out! Lets hear it for Goku!" he exclaimed.

The crowd cheered, and Goku waved at them. He was happy that they were pleased, but that had not been a real challenge for him. Merely a warm-up.

He hoped that the next rounds would be more interesting; he had not even needed to go Super Saiyan...

Now that the fight was over Goku returned to the others, and they congratulated him to his victory. Goku smiled, but waved it off quickly. After all, it had been to easy...

Quickly the next fight was announced.

"And now to the next fight, ladies, gentleman and everything in between: it's Boldo from the West quadrant versus Jabadai from the East quadrant." the alien announcer guy exclaimed.

Uilibu, who had meanwhile made a full recovery from his fight against Gohan leaned forward and smiled.

"This should be a funny fight. Both of them are speedster, and not very strong. Although I see a light advantage for Jabadai." he said.

Vegeta just huffed.

"What is speed without strength and endurance?" he asked.

Ulibu nodded.

"You are right, Vegeta, but if speed is used to its fullest it can overpower a much stronger opponent. Never underestimate someone because he is weaker than you."

Vegeta scowled, but otherwise kept his mouth shut and watched the fight that was about to start. This warrior knew what he was talking about, he was, after all, training for some thousand years...

The alien announcer guy looked at the Grand Kai, and again the Grand Kai gave the signal for the battle to begin.

Both speedster shot at each other at mind-boggling speed and attacked in a blurry of punches and kicks. Most people in the audience were not able to follow, and especially a certain human called Hercule Satan was bug-eyed.

If he had not known it better he would have called it a trick. But he had been assured more than only once that everything he saw here was perfectly real. Real, yeah, but also unbelievable...

Videl on the other hand was not surprised; she had seen many strange things up here. And another strange thing was that the young man, this Son Gohan, and his father as well as the others standing with them seemed to have no difficulties in seeing the fighters move.

Their heads whipped into different directions, so they were actually following the fight! But how was this possible? That was just blatant!

Back at the fight Ulibus prediction proved to be true. Slowly but steadily Jabadai gained the upper hand, and soon Boldo was only in the defence.

A defence he could not maintain much longer for Jabadai proved to have more stamina. After a very vicious attack that consisted in hundreds of punches and kicks Boldos defence shattered and Jabadai was able to land the final punch.

A quick blow to the head rendered Boldo unconscious, and the fight was over.

"And the winner is Jabadai from the East quadrant!" the alien announcer guy exclaimed.

Naturally East Kai was gleaming with joy, for one of her fighters had actually (and finally) 'survived' the first round!

West Kai on the other hand was very displeased that one of his fighters had lost to East Kai, but he still had his best weapon in store, Pikkon!

Then the next fight was about to be announced, and the Z-Fighters listened intently, for this time one of theirs would fight.

"And now to the next fight... and here, from the North quadrant, I give you Piccolo, son of Piccolo Damuo, the demon king!" he exclaimed, and the crowd cheered.

Piccolo actually waved at the audience, and Gohan was very surprised.

** Is my old mentor and sensei actually defrosting? Hmm, seems as if his stay up here is affecting him... ** he thought.

"And here, from the South quadrant, I give you Arrar! He's a fierce fighter from the planet Grizzlor who gave his life defending his home planet against the invading troops of Oregar!" the alien announcer guy exclaimed, and again the audience cheered.

Piccolo surveyed his opponent. Arrar was very tall and broad-shouldered, muscular and seemingly well-trained. And, most important of all, he looked like an intelligent version of the grizzly bear from Earth.

** This will be one interesting fight... ** Piccolo thought and readied himself for the battle...

**  
  
to be continued... **

**  
==  Next time: Piccolos fight versus Arrar! Who will be the stronger of the two? The Namek or the Grizzlorian? Stay tuned!  ==**

Thanks for reading! Please review!

**And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx! **

**  
  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**  
Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: Oh yeah, that he did. But those fights in Round 1 are nothing compared to the upcoming fights, just wait and see. There will be a lot more action! And this is kind of a G/V AU, for this story is set after Gohan has been killed by the Androids. Videl has been killed to (Chapter 5), so it figures that she's here...           **

**  
Rose Vaughn: One can say so... but right now Gohan will concentrate on the tournament. After all, he has challenging competition in the tournament...******

**  
Anthony1: Thank you! And yes, Gohan has his left arm back. I watched a lot of DBZ episodes that regarded the afterlife, but I never saw anyone who was disabled. Thus I 'arranged' it that Gohan got his arm back once he entered the afterlife... **

**  
Digi fan: Thanks, and you can be sure there are coming more fights! A lot more...             **

**  
Marshmellow13Dragon: I liked writing it :P; and you're fully and totally right, why shouldn't Videl and Gohan enjoy their afterlife? Although this is coming later, for now I am focussing on the fights...**

**  
Goten's Girl12: Glad that you liked it! I am honoured for the 8 out of 10 and that this story is now one of your favs! Thank you!   
wonderswhatitwouldtaketoget10outof10...             **

**  
Candy the Duck: Cool! I've a five star story now! Cheersloudly,thentakessugarawayfromhimself Cool that you like it!**

**  
DBZ Chick1: Thanks! I enjoyed writing it! And Gohan will do far more, promise!               **

**  
animeprincess1452: Yeah, lately I seem to be inspired to write fighting scenes. It's a good equalisation to Romance and Humour, although I like to write those too...**


	9. Piccolo versus Arrar

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**  
  
Chapter Nine: Piccolo versus Arrar**

**  
  
Last time...**

Piccolo actually waved at the audience, and Gohan was very surprised.

** Is my old mentor and sensei actually defrosting? Hmm, seems as if his stay up here is affecting him... ** he thought.

"And here, from the South quadrant, I give you Arrar! He's a fierce fighter from the planet Grizzlor who gave his life defending his home planet against the invading troops of Oregar!" the alien announcer guy exclaimed, and again the audience cheered.

Piccolo surveyed his opponent. Arrar was very tall and broad-shouldered, muscular and seemingly well-trained. And, most important of all, he looked like an intelligent version of the grizzly bear from Earth.

** This will be one interesting fight... ** Piccolo thought and readied himself for the battle...

**  
  
Now the continuation... **

Piccolo nodded and cracked his knuckles. He had not fought other aliens in a long time, but he had gotten a lot stronger since the days he had been back then when he had had to fight the Saiyans long ago.

The Namekian warrior stepped into the ring, and Arrar did the same from the opposite site. The smile he wore told Piccolo 'I will not be an easy victim!', and Piccolo nodded. He had understood...

They got into fighting stance, and seconds later the Grand Kai gave the signal. The battle had begun...

Piccolo and Arrar surveyed each other before they suddenly disappeared at the same time. The shock wave which resulted from the first blow being dealt was so strong that the spectators would have been blown of their seats had it not been for the protective enchantments Uranai Baba had cast around the tournament ring. Those absorbed energy attacks, but allowed bodies to pass.

** Wow! ** Gohan thought, ** Piccolo has become a lot stronger since I last saw him! Man has he improved! **

And indeed, Piccolo was putting up a very good battle, but Arrar was also no piece of cake.

A quick feet sweep for Piccolos legs only managed to kick thin air, but the punch that followed once Piccolo had jumped into the air connected with cunning accuracy with Piccolo ribcage.

Piccolo was nearly sent flying out of the ring, but caught himself early enough in mid-air.

Seconds later he touched down on the ground. Now he was angry. No one did that without paying...

He concentrated and summoned all of his power (he had without taking his weighted clothing off), and once he had started his power-up the whole arena started to shake.

Yeah, Piccolo had indeed become _much_ stronger since his death, but that was not only due to the fact that he had trained with King Kai.

Some time ago (although time did not really play a role in the afterlife) he had merged with Kami, who had died too after Piccolo had been killed.

One could not exist without the other, and Kami had stood before the decision to ascend into heaven or become one with Piccolo again, who had chosen the path of good and been allowed to train.

Well, Kami had chosen the latter, and the reunion of the two halves that had once been the first Namekian warrior had created a warrior that was even stronger than a new Super Saiyan.

With that power at his command he should be able to beat Arrar. Sure, the Grizzlorian was strong, but Piccolo loved a good challenge...

Too bad that he had not had this kind of power when he had still been alive. Supposedly he alone would have been able to reduce the Androids to the scrap they were. But during his lifetime he had never been able to convince Kami to fuse with him and become one being again. Well, better too late then never. ** And who knows, maybe we will be wished back and get the chance to pay the tin cans back... **

All this thoughts were shooting in a nano-second through Piccolos mind, and seconds later he finished his impressive power-up.

His body mass had grown and he had become a head taller, and his muscle mass had increased impressively. His power had increased as well and was now higher than Arrars'.

The assembled crowd cheered and yelled at this display of power coming from the Namekian, and Piccolo allowed himself a sly grin.

Then he attacked, and it became obvious that his speed had increased as much as his strength. He was amazingly fast, and most spectators were not able to see him move.

But this time the Grand Kai had taken good care of this problem and thought far ahead, as he had wanted his spectators to be able to watch the fight at all events, regardless how fast they were. Thus he had held conference with Uranai Baba and other strong witches and wizards before the tournament, and together they had been able to conjure magical video screens that were able to show the fighters move regardless their speed.

Thus the Grand Kai nodded towards Uranai Baba who got the message and nodded herself. She cast the charm, and suddenly video screens appeared all around the arena out of thin air. The audience gasped, and the Grand Kai grinned. He informed his announcer telepathically, and the little guy did his job.

_"Ladies and Gentlemen and everything else, you will be delighted to see another stroke of genius coming from our Grandness, the Grand Kai! Due to his Grandness' genius we are able to present this fight even to those who can not see Piccolo and Arrar move! These fierce fighters are moving so fast that even most of our best fighters have trouble following their movements! But fear not and look at the screens!!!"_ he yelled into his magical mike and pointed at the large video screens that had magically appeared there.

Uranai Baba activated the screens with another charm and just at this moment the crowd looked. Loud 'Oohs' and 'Aaahs' went up once they saw the display of the fighters trading punches. This time the Grand Kai had had a really brilliant idea, and he had used his resources to its fullest.

** Yeah, a happy crowd is a good crowd... ** the Grand Kai thought smiling as all the spectators cheered for him.

The whole audience clapped and bowed towards the Grand Kai, who was extremely pleased with himself and nodded towards the crowd.

Especially a young woman named Videl Satan was looking forward very much at finally being able to watch a certain Son Gohan fight...  
  
Said Gohan however saw clear, and Piccolo aimed a swift punch for Arrars abdomen. The punch was too quick for Arrar to counter, and he was hit hard.

The intensity of this punch surprised the spectators and a certain Saiyan Prince however.

** Hmm, the Namek has improved. And that very much... If I should face him in a fight I may have to show off my new found power... ** he thought, and just in this moment Piccolo let a blow to Arrars' chin follow which sent the Grizzlorian flying upwards.

The right hook was strong enough to sent Arrar high into the space above, and Piccolo fazed out of sight.

_"Wow!!! This has been one punch!! Let alone watching hurt!!!"_ the alien announcer yelled, and the crowd cheered loudly.  
  
Meanwhile Piccolo reappeared before Arrar, but the Grizzlorian had meanwhile recovered.

He launched himself straight at Piccolo and aimed a punch for his nose, but Piccolo had his guard up and blocked this punch easily.

The Namekian was as concentrated as possible, and he was determined to end this match as quickly as possible. After all, he wanted to commence with the real thing and join the others in the next round...

So he zanzokened out of sight and reappeared behind Arrar.

This fast movement coming from the Namekian startled the Grizzlorian, for he had never fought someone _this_ fast ever before. Even the Oregans who had invaded his homeworld and who he had fought back had not been such a challenge...

Piccolo aimed a punch for Arrars neck, but the tall alien fighter had his guard up this time, too.

He blocked the punch that would most probably been strong enough to embed him in a crater down below and upped the anti himself by hitting Piccolo as hard as he could into the stomach.

He penetrated Piccolos defences, but it seemed as if he had hit a solid steel wall, despite all his strength. And it had as much effect. None whatsoever. Only his fist hurt.

** Man, just _how_ strong is this warrior? ** Arrar managed to think before he felt a sharp pain from a kick that sent him flying towards one of the celestial bodies.

Arrar crashed right through the planet and continued his uncontrolled 'flight' until he was finally able to get a grip on himself.

_"And he has been hit hard by this shot coming from Piccolo!!! Will Arrar be able to fight back???"_ the announcer yelled.  
  
Unnoticed to the Grizzlorian fighter Piccolo had moved a fast roundhouse kick (too fast for him to see) and sent him flying, through the celestial body.

The crowd cheered loudly as they could see everything that was going on above their heads on detail. This was awesome!

Arrar recovered fast, for he had obviously thought that his strength before so many Oregans had fallen would be enough to defeat this green-skinned warrior. He did not know if he was strong enough to do so, but he would never give up and give this fight his best!

He roared and powered up. Then the Grizzlorian flew straight at Piccolo and aimed a fast punch for Piccolos face, but the Namekian simply caught the incoming fist, despite the extended claws and waved his hand away. Piccolo then countered Arrars attack with a punch of his own, but Arrar blocked this one with ease.

Piccolo nodded. Obviously the power-up from Arrar had enhanced his strength. Good! Maybe he would get a challenge after all...

They exchanged blows and kicks at jackhammer speed, but soon it was becoming obvious that Piccolo was the better fighter.

However the combatants were moving so fast that they seemed to become blurs to the audience, and only very few people were able to keep track of them with their own eyes. The vast majority had to watch the fight at the numerous magical vid-screens.

The video screen was even able to keep track of the fighters even if they were fighting in the space above. After they had enough experience from the previous tournaments, the Grand Kai and his assistants knew that most of the spectators were not able to keep track with the best fighters. And a lot of the previous fights had been taken in the space above...

Very few had been able to watch the fights between Goku and Pikkon or Goku and Vegeta, for those fighters were simply too fast.

But _these_ were the fights that were really interesting, and he was proud of himself that his spectators were finally able to watch even those fights.

Videl, who was still sitting in the audience with her father, watched the fight in awe, while her father was only shaking his head.

And he had thought that he was a good fighter, but when he looked at those fighters go he slowly got a glimpse on his real importance on the universal scale...

The shockwaves from the blows that were being dealt by Arrar and Piccolo caused thunder that could even be heard down below. And the crowds cheered, for they were able to finally see a high-class fight for the first time...

Piccolo and Arrar exchanged blows at breakneck speed, and on one occasion Piccolo managed to land a hard blow to Arrar's chest.

Arrar drifted back and chose to use one of his favourite attacks on this fearsome fighter. His best attack, those had to work...

He gathered the necessary energy within seconds.

"Grizzly attack!" he yelled, and fired the energy blast at the Namek. Instead of using a blast of his own the Namekian simply powered up and crossed his arms before impact.

The Namekian warrior wanted to show his opponent that he was able to take his best shot. And after his opponent would have realised just how strong he was he would put the fight to an end...

Arrar watched confidently as his blast approached Piccolo, and he made a triumphant gesture once the blast hit. And it hit head-on!

_"And this time Piccolo has been hit hard!! Has Arrar managed to land the decisive blow???"_ the announcer yelled, and the crowd watched with rapt attention.

But once the smoke cleared the triumph faded from Arrars face. The Namekian was completely unharmed! Apparently the blast had impacted into Piccolos KI-shield and exploded there harmlessly.

Said Namekian warrior put his arms slowly, nearly lazily to his sides...

_"Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, this is awesome!!! Piccolo took this blow without the slightest scratch!!! Fantastic!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and once again the crowd burst into a roaring frenzy.

The announcer had just finished when Piccolo suddenly disappeared!

Arrars' eyes widened once he witnessed the extent of this fierce fighters powers, and silently he wondered again if he would be able to win against this one.

And suddenly Piccolo reappeared right in front of Arrar and decked him instantly with a shower of punches and kicks.

The Namekians' movements became blurs to Arrar, and the video screen magically enhanced its frame rate to keep up with the Namekian.

The other Z-Fighters on the ground smirked, especially Gohan. Now they became a glimpse of what the Namekian was really capable off...

Arrar was not able to keep his defences up and was hit several times, and that quite hard. One roundhouse kick from Piccolo hit his head, and he was sent flying once again.

_"Arrar has been hit hard by those world-shattering blows coming from Piccolo!!! Will the Namekian warrior end the fight now???"_ the announcer exclaimed.

The force of Piccolos kick was such that it was strong enough to send the Grizzlorian all the way down into the tournament ring again, where he made a crash landing. Embedded in an impact crater Arrar staggered to his feet.

His face contorted in rage, and the fury fuelled his powers. No, he would not give up that easily! He flew straight at his opponent with a battle cry Arrar aimed a punch for Piccolos stomach, but Piccolo blocked this one with ease.

And again the fighters began to disappear. Seconds later however Arrar reappeared, but not the way he had planned.

Piccolo had punched him very hard in the face, faster than he had seen it coming and this punch send him straight towards another celestial body and pushed him nearly out of the ring.

Piccolo then raised his KI and reappeared in Arrars flight path. A quick double fisted blow at full strength sent the Grizzlorian deep into the concrete of the ring.

_"Ouch!!! This had to hurt!! Arrar is down once again!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed.  
  
The crowd cheered its approval, and by now a certain Hercule Satan was buy-eyed. He could not believe just how powerful all those guys were! This simply could not be!!

So he sat there in his seat, muttering "It's all a trick, I know it, I'll wake up in a short while and everything is back to normal again..."

Videl on the other hand ignored her father (the best thing to do) and tried to find out who this Piccolo was. He had been talking to Son Gohan, so they would know each other.

** Wait... ** she thought, ** his name is Son Gohan, and the other fighter who fought this A'Raskar guy was named Son Goku. And the announcer said that they are father and son. Could this be the Son Goku who won the 23rd Tenkaichi Boudokai? Could this be? **

She turned to look at her dad.

"Dad, could this Son Goku be the winner of the 23rd Tenkaichi Boudokai? I mean, he looks familiar..." she said.

Her father made a thoughtful face, finally snapping awake from his trance.

"Hmm, you right, my dear. He looks familiar. Maybe it is him. Pity that I don't have the chance to fight him..." he said.

Videl looked at him disbelievingly.

"You say that after you have seen what he is capable of? Dad, sometimes I don't believe you." she said, shaking her head, while her father muttered something indecipherable.

Down in the ring Arrar had managed to stagger to his feet and pulled all of his remaining strength together.

** Time to show off my new move... ** he thought and then he glowed golden.

"Super Bear attack!" he exclaimed and shot a golden glowing beam at Piccolo at point blank range.

The Namekian warrior could have zanzokened out of the blasts way, but he chose to end it right here and now. After all, his opponent was standing at the edge of the ring...

"Masenko-HA!" Piccolo yelled, and the two beams collided.  At first Piccolos Masenko struggled against the Super Bear attack of Arrar, but then, within seconds it made its way towards the Grizzlorian fighter.

Arrar had no chance to evade the blasts coming right at him, and the explosion from the impact catapulted Piccolos opponent out of the ring where he hit a concrete wall and remained laying on the ground, unconscious.

The fight was over!

_"Arrar has landed outside of the ring AND is out cold!!! There is really no worse way to lose!!! Ladies, gentlemen and everything else, we have a winner!!! Piccolo takes this fight and proceeds into the next round!!! Lets hear it for this great warrior!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed.

Piccolo winked at the crowd and the audience was celebrating him with speaking choirs. Piccolo smirked while he continued to wink at the spectators. This had been fun...

**  
  
to be continued... **

**  
== Piccolo has shown everyone what he is capable of and has moved into the next round! A feat the proud Prince of all Saiyans has still to accomplish! How will his fight go? Stay tuned! ==**

Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! And don't forget, more reviews = more motivation, and more motivation = faster updates and a better story, so please review! With enough motivation I might be able to release the next chapter by Monday...

**And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx! **

**  
  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**  
Dooleys: Believe me, will do so! There will be a lot more fighting = ass kicking in the future...**

**  
Candy the Duck: Let's just declare this as thinking, otherwise the others know that we talk to our... ehm, don't talk to ourselves!  
And you're cruel! Melting the poor, poor Piccolo... shame on you! :D  **

**  
Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: Thank you! Writing those is a lot of fun, and to know that people appreciate my work is really cool and motivates me. Well, when facing a Saiyan no one knows if they (the Saiyans' opponents) will come out alive. Good for the opponents that they're already dead... as for Piccolo and Kami, I think this chapter answered the question better than me...               **

**  
gaul1: Thanks, will do so. And it's good to see you again!**

**  
Marshmellow13Dragon: Yup, would say Piccolo did exactly that :D   
Will one of the Z-senshi lose, you ask? Well, maybe if they fight each other, which could happen sooner than thought. Lean back and see...               **

**  
animeprincess1452: Wow, thanks! Cool to be a source of inspiration, I never was before! But as I said before, reviews are a source of motivation and thus inspiration, this way you and all my other reviewers keep me going and are _my_ source of inspiration! Cool that you like my fights, but I think with the right motivation I'll be able to make the upcoming fights even better. And I am looking forward to read yours!               **

**  
Digi fan: Exactly! K, I've never been dead before and don't intend to be sooner than in 70 years or so, but I think you come to think about what you've done in life and realise that all your attitude (like in Vegetas' case) was... misdirected. Vegeta is still proud, but he has lost a lot of his arrogance. As you said, just like in the other time line when Vegeta gave his life to stop Majin Buu.**

**  
Rose Vaughn: Well, Gohan will concentrate primary on the tournament, and we will see what happens during the fights and after the tournament is over. But until that happens a lot more fights will take place. Glad that you like it!   **

**  
Anthony1: Thank you! Hope you enjoyed the fight between Piccolo and Arrar, I tried to make it as interesting as possible. And you're welcome, as said, I always answer to every review I receive, they make me feel appreciated. And if I can answer my reviewers' questions, well, the better!**

**  
DBZ Chick1: Glad you liked the humour. And the fighting. You can be sure Gohan will do exactly that, although I can promise you that the next rounds will heat the tournament up...    **

**  
Goten's Girl12: Thanks, due to all the motivation you readers are giving me trough the reviews I am quite sure I can. And I don't take it personally, was just joking. But I am honoured that I got 9 out of 10, :D  
I checked out the stories, and you're right, they are awesome! Thanks for the info. If you have more good stories to check out please leave them in the reviews!******

****


	10. Vegeta versus Maraiako!

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**  
  
****Chapter Ten: Vegeta versus Maraiako!**

**  
  
Last time...**

 "Masenko-HA!" Piccolo yelled, and the two beams collided.  At first Piccolos Masenko struggled against the Super Bear attack of Arrar, but then, within seconds it made its way towards the Grizzlorian fighter.

Arrar had no chance to evade the blasts coming right at him, and the explosion from the impact catapulted Piccolos opponent out of the ring where he hit a concrete wall.

The fight was over!

Piccolo was declared winner by the alien announcer guy and winked at the crowd. This had been fun... ...

**  
  
Now the continuation... **

After Piccolos' victory over Arrar the afterlife tournament continued, while Piccolo walked back to where the other Z-Fighters were standing.

They congratulated him to his victory, and the Namekian warrior admitted that this fight had been fun. Even Vegeta admitted that Piccolo had shown them and the crowd a good fight, and that was the hugest compliment one could await from the still pride-driven Saiyan Prince.

Gohan patted Piccolo on the back and congratulated him to his awesome increase in power. He himself had grown considerably in power through his death, but what Piccolo had shown them in his fight had been really impressive.

"Thanks, kid." Piccolo said after Gohans' congrats. "After Kami had decided to merge with me into one being my power shot through the roof. But yours is no piece of cake either, Gohan." the Namek said.

Gohan nodded.

"Wish I had been as strong when I fought the Androids, but sadly the power-increase came not until I had died, and by then it was too late. But I will raise my power constantly, and should we ever be able to return to Earth I will rip those tin-cans apart!" he said with so much venom in his voice that the others looked at him.

He however did not care. They had not live this constant nightmare for several years. Always running and hiding, training to become stronger, hopefully strong enough to beat the darn tin cans...

After some deep breaths Gohan managed to calm down. His fathers was right, there was nothing he could do any more for Earth besides becoming stronger. And he knew he had some hidden potential in himself he had failed to access until now, he knew it!

Since his childhood he knew that he had these powers, enough proof of this existed. And he would find a way to access it, damn it!

Meanwhile the next fight was announced, and the Z-Fighters watched with interest as one of those fighters could be the next opponent of either Goku, Gohan, Vegeta or Piccolo.

This fight would be decided between Tantar, a speedster from the South quadrant, and Marak, a harmless looking Frog-like creature from the East quadrant.

"And now ladies, gentlemen and everything else, I am proud to present the next fight! Coming from the South quadrant and known for his incredible speed, I give you Tantar! Lets hear it for him!!!" the alien-announcer guy exclaimed, and the crowd cheered loudly as Tantar walked onto the platform.

"And in this corner, proud to present the East quadrant, I give you Marak! He has participated in quite a few tournaments, not making it quite to the finals, but he is determined to change it! Let's heat it for Marak!!!" the announcer yelled, and once again the crowd cheered as the Frog-like creature walked onto the platform.

The two fighters looked at each other with determined expression and fell into stances. Seconds later the Grand Kai gave the signal.

"You know the rules! Fight!!" the announcer-guy exclaimed and the fight was on.

Nothing spectacular happened in this fight, some blows were exchanged, but Tantar, the speedster proved to be too fast for Marak to hit him properly. Every time Marak tried to hit Tantar the speedster zoomed out of the way, and Marak was getting frustrated soon.

After some unsuccessful attempts in hitting Tantar he had obviously had enough. Suddenly he just stood there in the middle of the ring and started to quack! And all of a sudden he started to inflate like a balloon! Tantar, at first totally surprised zoomed towards the still growing Marak and hit him several times, but it was like hitting gum! The blows had absolutely no effect, as Marak kept on growing further!

** What a crazy competition! ** Gohan thought, standing besides the ring, ** this is more like a circus than anything else! **

"Hah hah! You may be faster than me, but soon all your speed won't help you as there is nowhere to run besides outside of the ring!!" Marak exclaimed, and as much as Tantar tried, he had to admit that Marak was right. All his manoeuvres were of no use, and slowly but steadily he was pushed out of the ring. He reared up one last time and tried to use all of his speed to catapult Marak out of the ring, but it was like he had just ran against a wall of gum! The speedster bounced back and landed outside out the ring!

"We have a ringout! Tantar has landed outside of the ring, and that makes Marak the winner!" the announcer exclaimed, and the crowd cheered. However not as loudly as for the previous winners, for this fight had really been kind of boring.

As well Vegeta as Gohan, Goku and Piccolo were quite sure that they would be able to achieve an easy victory about this frog...

Marak deflated to his original size, winked one last time to the crowd and exited the ring. This time he had managed to get to the next round, and he was quite proud...

Right after Marak had left the ring the next and final fight of Round 1 was announced, and Vegeta was already cracking his knuckles. Yeah, some exercise would do him good...

He smirked, and this smirk would have made his opponent Maraiako run for cover had he seen it. The Saiyan Prince was looking forward to this fight, and like before every fight his blood became heated up by the warsong that was coursing through his veins.

"_And now Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, I have the honour to announce the last fight of this first round!! It will be decided between two old acquaintances of this tournament!!! And in this corner... I give you Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans!!! He has participated in the last two afterlife tournaments, and was only stopped by Pikkon on one occasion and by Goku on the other!!! He has already displayed remarkable strength and uncanny skills!!! Let's hear it for Vegeta!!!" _the alien-announcer guy exclaimed and the crowd roared in anticipation at what they would be seeing soon.

They had seen Vegeta fight on these previous occasions, and the Saiyan Prince had impressed them deeply. He had nearly beaten Pikkon in his first tournament appearance, and last time he had only been stopped by the superior strength of Goku. This would be one hell of a fight...

Others however were not so impressed with Vegeta...

"What? This little man made it to the finals?? What do they have for a competition up here?? A circus??" one man, known as... you guessed it... Hercule Satan nearly yelled.

His 22 years old daughter covered her face so that no one saw the bright red blush her face had taken because of the shame she felt. This could simply not be... she would have died of shame if she had not been dead already...

But once she had recovered enough she turned to her father and yelled

"NOW SHUT THE HELL UP, DAD!! HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING UP HERE???! IT'S NOT THE SIZE THAT'S IMPORTANT!!! THIS 'LITTLE MAN' AS YOU CALLED HIM COULD PROBABLY SQASH YOU WITH ONE FINGER!! DIDN'T YOU SEE WHAT IT TAKES TO STAND YOUR GROUND IN THIS TOURNAMENT?? THIS IS NOT SOME KIND OF KINKY COMPETITION LIKE THE ONES WE HAD ON EARTH!!! GOT IT??!"

Hercules' face had turned a chalk-white colour. Never had he heard his daughter so angry, and he gulped audibly before nearly sliding out of his chair. The others sitting besides them were once again laughing, and this time Hercule _knew_ that they were laughing about him...

Every Z-Fighter had heard what had been going on up on the ranks, and Gohan smirked. Yeah, he liked this woman more and more. She stood up against others, even if it was what Gohan guessed her own, stupid father. This woman had fire, and he turned towards her and gave her a smile.

She caught his look and actually blushed before smiling back.

** She blushed! I'll be damned! Seems she likes me... ** Gohan thought before he saw the look on her fathers face. Videl followed his gaze and

"Not one word, dad!" she said loud enough for Gohan to hear, and it was all that Gohan could do from rolling on the floor laughing.

He smiled before concentrating on the happenings at the ring again. The announcer had stepped into the middle of the ring and continued announcing.

"_And in the other corner, equipped with a battle-weight of 2 tons and incredible strength, I am proud to announce one of the veterans of this tournament... you all know him... Maraiko!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and a giant dinosaur-like creature made its way into the ring.

Both fighters surveyed each other, as they had never before fought against each other. On one occasion Goku had made short work of Maraiko, and Vegeta was sure that he was able to do the same without working a sweat.

"_You both know the rules!!! Fight!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed as the Grand Kai had given the signal.

Vegeta and Maraiko blurred out of existence in an instant, and the fight was joined...   
  
And all who were not able to watch the fight, and that were a lot of spectators and fighters, looked at the magical screens. Vegeta was still in his basic form, but nevertheless the combatants were exchanging blows at jackhammer speed.

For Vegeta this exchange of blows was merely a warm-up, and he did not have to think about blocking his opponents' moves, his reflexes even in the basic Saiyan form were more than good enough.

The sonic waves produced by the blows were so strong that they would have blown the spectators from the seats, but the Grand Kai had made special preparations this time regarding the fact that a lot of powerful fighters would compete in the tournament.

Uranai Baba, the old witch, had once again cast a shielding charm that surrounded the whole tournament ring, and once the blows became to heavy the energies being released were absorbed. This way the spectators were safe, and a happy crowd was a good crowd…

Aforementioned crowd was watching the ongoing fight with rapt attention on the magical screens, and the Grand Kai congratulated himself to another stroke of genius. This tournament would be the best ever…

Down in the ring Vegeta decided to take the fight up a notch. This Maraiako was as strong as he looked, but Vegeta did not see need to transform into a Super Saiyan. This way he would have been able to end the fight in a second, but in his opinion he was more than able to so even in his normal form.

But Maraiako had obviously trained, for he augmented his power-level to match the Saiyan Princes'. Vegeta and Maraiako exchanged blows at breakneck speed, and suddenly Maraiakos' tail lashed forward and managed to hit the Saiyan Prince with enough force to send him flying upwards.

After a few hundred yards of flight Vegeta was able to stop his uncontrolled flight as he powered up even more. Now he was officially angry. This runt had managed to hit him! How lackadaisical! His face contorted in rage, and the crowd who could see his reaction on the magical screens already pitied Maraiako…

The Saiyan Prince flew towards the ground where Maraiako was standing, obviously preparing some kind of energy attack. Vegeta did not care and powered up even more, still in his normal Saiyan form. Naturally Maraiako sensed this power-up coming from the Saiyan Prince and noticed that he was outclassed by now.

He gulped, but seconds later a determined expression entered his face. He would fire his attack and weaken Vegeta enough to win! Yeah, that he would do!

"THUNDERREX ATTACK!!!" he exclaimed once he had gathered sufficient energy to fire his attack, and a giant yellow beam exited his palms at jackhammer speed.

Vegeta sensed the attacks power and smirked. Instead of firing his own energy attack to cancel Maraiakos' attack out he did something far more spectacular: he just backhanded it away into the 'space' above where it exploded harmlessly, but with enough force to crack some celestial bodies.

The crowd cheered loudly, for they had sensed how strong the attack of Maraiako had been, and the Saiyan Prince had simply deflected it! Awesome!

Vegeta however did not even hear the cheers coming from the spectators, although one special spectator had nearly hidden himself under his seat in face of the powers this little man as he had called him possessed. What were those guys was the only question he could come up with, while his daughter watched the fight with a thrilled expression…

The Saiyan Prince flew straight at Maraiako who was readying himself for the next exchange of blows. He fell onto the dinosaur in a firestorm of blows, and the other fighter was barely able to block the last punch that had been aimed for his horned face, and was now breathing heavily from the strain.

Vegeta was in much better condition, for he had trained himself even to fight full out in his basic Saiyan form. Once again the crowd cheered loudly, and as if on cue Vegeta increased the tempo even more and hit Maraiako s' defences with Earth-shattering blows which the giant dinosaur was nearly unable to block.

Also Maraiako noticed that Vegeta was just too strong for him, but he would go down fighting. Thus he launched himself at the Saiyan Prince again and decked his opponent with a blurry of punches and kicks, followed by a roundhouse-kick-punch-combo.

Vegeta smirked while he blocked everything thrown at him with ease, and then decided to take matters into his own hands once again. He appreciated that Maraiako was still fighting back, and he would honour him by winning by ring-out.

Thus the Saiyan Prince leapt forward at his opponent and sent another hailstorm of punches at Maraiako which were driving the giant dinosaur back. Maraiako was not surprised at the attacks strength, he was however surprised that those blows did not seem to take anything out of his opponent.

Vegeta was still breathing normally, while he was panting like there was no tomorrow. Maraiako had to admit it, Vegeta was among the favourites to win this tournament, and once he had lost (he knew he would, it was only a question of time) he would admit that he had lost to his better.

Suddenly Vegeta fazed away, and Maraiako started a frantic search for his opponents energy. When he found it however it was too late, as he had no time to react any more. For Vegeta had grabbed hold of his tail, and he could not do anything to escape this firm grip of the Saiyan prince.

And Vegeta did what Maraiako had feared! The Saiyan began to swing him around his own center line and was gaining speed! Soon Maraiako got dizzy from that, and as much as he raised his energy to stop Vegetas' move he could do nothing!

It was to no avail, and once Vegeta had gathered enough momentum he let go of Maraiakos' tail, and the dinosaur fighter hurled with amazing speed from one end of the ring to the other, where he impacted against a far wall, outside the ring!

He landed quite ruggedly on his butt, but was still conscious. Maraiako got up, brushed the dust of him and gave the Saiyan Prince the thumbs up! The crowd cheered loudly at so much sportsmanship, and the Saiyan Prince gave Maraiako a smirk…

Then the alien-announcer-guy stepped into the ring.

_"__Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, we have a winner!!! Prince Vegeta takes this last fight of Round one, and we can say that he won with ease! We can be astounded what he will show us in the next round!! Right now we will take a break as the fixtures for the next round will be decided!!!"_ he yelled, and the crowd cheered.

Some time passed by as the next fights were magically determined, and once they were the alien announcer guy stepped up in the ring again.

_"__Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, the fights of Round 2 have been decided!!! And here they are!!!"_ he yelled, and the two guys who had rolled in the fixtures of Round 1 before rolled in another blackboard with the next rounds brackets.

Clearly visible written on it was:

_Fight__ One: Piccolo (North quadrant) versus Vegeta (North quadrant)  
  
_

_Fight Two: Gohan (North quadrant) versus Jabadai (East quadrant)  
  
_

_Fight Three: Goku (North quadrant) versus Pikkon (West quadrant)  
  
_

_Fight Four: Alamba (East quadrant) versus Marak (East quadrant)  
  
_

The crowd went into a roaring frenzy at seeing the fixtures of the next round. Especially the fights between Piccolo and Vegeta as well as between Goku and Pikkon would be very interesting. The spectators assumed that Jabaidai's chances to win against Gohan were at best remote, for they had seen what the young man could do.

This time East Kai was particularly proud of her fosterlings, for the first time in 2000 years fighters of her had made it to the second round. That was a miracle, and one she thought to celebrate properly. And one of her fighters would actually proceed to the next round! Yeah, this was awesome!

Meanwhile Vegeta had rejoined the other Z-Fighters, and had taken all their compliments in stride. He was too thrilled at the prospect to fight Piccolo to be grumpy. Finally a real fight! He could hardly await it. But this feeling was mutual, and also Goku could hardly await to face Pikkon once again... ...

**  
  
to be continued... **

**  
== Hercule really got it in this chapter (Go Videl! Go!) and Vegeta won his fight against Maraiako with ease, but the West quadrants' fighters chances to win were remote from the first. Now the Saiyan Prince will be facing one of his comrades… Piccolo! Who will win? Stay tuned! ==**

**  
Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! With the right motivation I think I'll be able to release the next fight Wednesday or Thursday...**

**  
  
And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx! **

**  
  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**  
rjectkd89: Thanks! Will do so!**

**  
Candy the Duck: was just joking, :D  
Glad that you like the fighting scenes, they're hard to write, but it's easy with the right motivation!**

**  
dabaka: Thank you! That's why I wrote this story, cause no one ever heard anything from Mirai Trunks and Gohan again.  
As for the fight: the only similarity I could find was that both use the Masenko, which is logical because Gohan learned it from Piccolo. But I do try to use more variety, promise! And I will most surely not quit. As long as I have enough motivation I will continue, so much is for sure!**

**  
Anthony1: Glad that you liked the fight! Vegeta's was not as hard and challenging, though, but the next one will sure be!  
Therefore this chappie had some Hercule torture, heh...**

**  
animeprincess1452: Thanks! I aim to please!**

**  
matt zero: Good to see you once again! And I'm glad that you like the story. As for your suggestions: scriblesthemdown They're good!**

**  
gaul1: Cool you liked it! And will do so! Me dislike tests, too! Hope it went well...**

**  
DBZ Chick1: I did my best and hurried, and thanks to the motivation you all gave me I succeeded. Hope you liked it...**

**  
Marshmellow13Dragon: Yeah, it was a tough fight. Hope you didn't hurt yourself when you fell down,   
As for Gohan's hidden powers: no foreshadowing here, I'm afraid, heh...            **


	11. Piccolo versus Vegeta!

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**  
  
Chapter Eleven: Piccolo versus Vegeta!**

**  
  
Last time...**

This time East Kai was particularly proud of her fosterlings, for the first time in 2000 years fighters of her had made it to the second round. That was a miracle, and one she thought to celebrate properly. And one of her fighters would actually proceed to the next round! Yeah, this was awesome!

Meanwhile Vegeta had rejoined the other Z-Fighters, and had taken all their compliments in stride. He was too thrilled at the prospect to fight Piccolo to be grumpy. Finally a real fight! He could hardly await it. But this feeling was mutual, and also Goku could hardly await to face Pikkon once again...

**  
  
Now the continuation... **

Again it was the alien announcer guys turn to announce the first fight of Round 2.

_"Welcome back to Round 2 of this awesome Afterlife Tournament, brought to you by his Grandness, the Grand Kai!! Ladies, Gentlemen and all in between, it is my absolute honour to announce the first fight of this round!!! This one will be decided between two of the __North Kai__'s fosterlings, and both have proven to be strong an cunning fighters!!! And here, after having beaten the fearsome Maraiako with utmost ease!!! I am proud to present... Prince Vegeta of the Saiyans!!!"_ he exclaimed, and the crowd cheered loudly.

Gohan smiled. Obviously they had seen them fight full out before, and Gohan wondered just how strong they had really become. What he had seen until now had only been a glimpse, and he was curious as hell to see more...

Meanwhile Vegeta smirked and entered the ring from one side, to the loud cheers coming from the crowd. He was prepared, and already the battlesong began to grew louder in his veins...

"Heh, lets see how many hits Piccolo will have on Vegeta. If even Maraiako managed to hit him..." Krillin joked.

Vegeta had naturally heard him due to his Saiyan sense of hearing and turned an angry stare on him that said   
** What did you say, cueball? **

_"And in the other corner... he is another fosterling of the __North Kai__ who has made it to Round 2, after having beaten the powerful Arrar in an awesome battle!! I am proud to announce... Piccolo, the Namekian warrior!!! Lets hear it for this great fighter!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and the crowd burst into a roar. They had enjoyed the battle between the Namek and Arrar, and they were looking forward to this fight...

Piccolo entered the ring from the other side, but before he stepped completely into the ring he took off all of his weighted clothing, something he had not even done in his intense fight against Arrar. And the increase of his power was rather drastically...

Vegeta however smirked.

** Maybe I _will_ get a decent challenge after all... ** he thought, powering up into Super Saiyan instantly, accompanied by loud 'Oohs' and 'Ahhs' from the spectators who always loved to see these power-ups.

They got into fighting stance, and seconds later the Grand Kai gave the signal.

_"You both know the rules!! Fight!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy said and walked out of the ring.

And now the battle was on...

Piccolo and Vegeta surveyed another before they suddenly disappeared in unison. The shock wave which resulted from the first blow being dealt was so strong that it would have blown the audience from their seats, had not the magical barriers been renewed and strengthened trough magic...

The whole audience had to look at the magical vid-screen from the very start, and even Tien, Yamcha and Krillin were not able to follow the movements of Piccolo and Vegeta, who were exchanging blows at uncanny speed.

** Wow! ** Gohan thought, ** Piccolo is a lot stronger and faster than he showed us in his battle against Arrar!! Man, now we can see how much he has really improved! Cool!!! **

And indeed, Piccolo was putting up a very good battle and gave Vegeta the challenge he had hungered for. The fight against Maraiako had merely been a warm-up to the Saiyan Prince, who now thrived completely in this battle. And obviously Vegeta had decided to take the battle up a notch, for he put more energy in his attacks.

But Piccolo was holding his own and matched the Saiyan Prince blow for blow. He had augmented his power-level to that of Vegeta, and both fighters were trading blows that produced sonic booms all over the platform.

The only ones who were able to watch the fight on the platform were Goku and Gohan, and they were smirking in sight of this good fight...

Meanwhile Vegeta and Piccolo had taken the fight into the air, and after a faster than lightning barrage of blows Vegeta was able to overwhelm Piccolos' defences for the first time.

The Saiyan Prince was able to connect a roundhouse kick, and Piccolo was kicked hard in the head and sent slamming into the ground. The platform beneath buckled from his impact and just the first crater of the fight formed beneath him.

_"And Prince Vegeta has just landed the first hit of this fight!! His strength and speed are uncanny, and Piccolo seems to be in trouble!!!"_ the alien announcer-guy exclaimed, while the crowd cheered loudly.

But Piccolo got up faster than anyone could see (except for Gohan and Goku) and resumed the fight with a grim expression written on his face.

Suddenly Piccolo phased out and executed a chop-kick-roundhouse-kick-blast-punch-blast, and Vegeta was not able to block the last blast. This one penetrated his defences and sent him hurling to the ground.

But in difference to Piccolo Vegeta was able to stop his fall and touched down on the platform, feet first. Piccolo followed him, trying to press his advantage. Standing on the platform Vegeta suddenly fired rapid energy blasts at Piccolo, but the Namek dodged with ease and countered with energy attacks of his own.

Those were no problem for Vegeta, and he simply dodged or deflected everything thrown at him. Then Vegeta raced forward and tried to ram his fist into Piccolos' face, but the Namek caught the fist. Vegeta then intended to ram the other fist into Piccolo's gut, but also this time the Namek had his guard up.

Soon the fighters were again exchanging blows, this time on ground level. It seemed to go on for hours yet it was only seconds before Piccolo was knocked backwards by a devastating punch Vegeta had managed to land. Pressing his advantage the Saiyan Prince decked the Namekian with punches and kicks the other fighter was barely able to block any more.

Vegeta had decided to tap into his secret power reserves, for Piccolo had obviously improved a lot too. Not long, and the Saiyan Prince would have to demonstrate how strong he really had become. And he would do. After all, he wanted to win this fight. If he had to shock the other competitors to do so, well, the better!

A quick feet sweep for Piccolos legs only managed to kick thin air, but the punch that followed once Piccolo had jumped into the air connected with deadly accuracy with Piccolo chest.

And Piccolo was indeed in trouble now. The Namekian warrior was nearly sent flying out of the ring, but caught himself early enough. Seconds later he touched down on the ground. Now he was angry. He would _show_ this arrogant Saiyan what this Namek was capable of...

He concentrated and summoned _all_ of his power, and once he had started his power-up the whole arena started to shake and rumble from the energies Piccolo was releasing. Yeah, Piccolo had indeed become stronger, but that was not only due to the fact that he had trained with King Kai.

_"Now would you look at that, ladies, gentlemen and everything else!! Look at this phenomenal display of power coming from Piccolo!! He is radiating even more power than in his fight against the fierce Arrar!!! Just how strong is he???!" _the announcer yelled, and the crowd applauded at this display of power.

Piccolo had merged with his other half, Kami, again before some time, and the reunion of the two halves that had once been the first Namekian warrior had created a warrior that was even stronger than a Super Saiyan. The only question was: would it be enough to beat Vegeta, who had also become much stronger?

What Piccolo did not know was, just _how much stronger_ the Saiyan Prince had become. The Saiyans Goku and Vegeta often trained on their own, now that King Kai was not been able to teach them any more, and Piccolo joined them from time to time.

But he felt that the two Saiyans were holding back. What he did not know was how much Vegeta and Goku were holding back, but he intended to find out, even if it would be the hard way...

These thoughts ran through Piccolos mind in the fraction of a second, and mere seconds later he finished his impressive power-up.

Once again his body mass had grown and he had become two heads taller this time as he was using all of his power, and his muscle mass had increased most impressively. Even so his power that was now higher than ever...

The assembled crowd cheered and yelled at this display of power coming from the Namekian, and Piccolo allowed himself a proud smirk.

Then he attacked, and it became obvious that his speed had increased as much as his strength. It was a good thing that the spectators could follow the fight on the magical screens, otherwise most of them, even if nearly all of them were fighters, would not have been able to follow Piccolos' movements.

Gohan however was able to follow Piccolos' movements with ease, as the Namek aimed a swift blast-punch-kick-combo for Vegetas gut. But the Saiyan Prince had his guard up, and was able to block the blows.

Then Piccolo and Vegeta launched at each other at the same time and started to strike at each other vehemently. The magical video display showed everything in detail and the warriors were exchanging blows with enough force to create even stronger shockwaves then ever before. It sounded like thunder was striking everywhere!

The only thing that could be seen on the platform were the disturbances caused by air being compressed trough their blows. The crowd was going wild with excitement, some cheering for Vegeta, others for Piccolo, but most of them once again for blood.

The intensity of these blows surprised the Saiyan Prince however.

** Hmm, the Namek has improved. Maybe I've to show him the true extent of my powers... ** Vegeta thought, and just in this moment Piccolo managed to hit Vegeta in the face. The blow was strong enough to produce a remarkably loud sonic boom...

_"And this time Piccolo has managed to land a blow!! And what for a blow!!"_ the announcer yelled while the audience held its breath, curious to see how Vegeta had taken the punch.

The right hook had been strong enough to shake the frame of Vegeta, but he did not float back. A single drop of blood flowed from the corner of the mouth, and he was smirking.

"Not bad at all, Namek. But that was the only time you'll be able to land a hit." he promised, and Gohan, who had heard this was curious what the Saiyan Princes' next move would be.

Suddenly every muscle in the Saiyan Princes' body tensed. The golden aura of a Super Saiyan engulfed him, and Vegeta began to scream, hanging in mid-air. The width of his aura tripled, and the light Vegeta was emitting became blinding.

Everywhere spectators where shielding there eyes, and one of them, a certain loud-mouthed human, mumbled

"It's all a trick!" while the others clung to their seats. And another young woman (have you guessed who?) sitting next to him only shook her head in disbelief. He would _never_ learn...

"NOW GET THE HELL REAL, DAD!!!" was all she screamed, and the people next to her cringed in pain at the magnitude of her voice. And Hercule simply slumped back in the seat and shut the hell up...

Gohan smiled, but he felt oddly reminded of his mother...

Vegeta's aura grew even bigger, and his energy was growing at rapid speed. Goku, who was standing with the other fighters smiled. Yeah, that was the result of their training. Once they would be wished back, they would be prepared. Now only his son had to become stronger, too. But he would see to that...

The Saiyan Prince in the ring was grunting from the strain to ascend.

"Arrrrhhh!" he exclaimed, and suddenly every muscle bulged as a blinding light coming from his aura engulfed the whole arena.

_"Whoaah, this is amazing!!! It seems that Prince Vegeta will show us what he is really capable off!!! The whole arena is rattling from his awesome power!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, while thunder was flashing everywhere above.

But Vegeta was not finished yet. His power caused the ground to tremble, and the final release of his power made nearly the whole tournament asteroid shake.

Once the light cleared, Vegeta looked much more impressive. He had become much more powerfully built, and his hair was standing even sharper on end than as a normal Super Saiyan. Yeah, Vegeta had ascended, and the spectators were impressed.

After they had recovered they cheered loudly, and Vegeta smirked. Piccolo nodded. That was a sign that he was impressed, too, but he would never give up.

Vegeta nodded too. Now the real battle would begin.

Suddenly the Saiyan Prince shot forward, and his right-handed punch hit Piccolo with great accuracy in the abdomen. This time Piccolo had had no time to put of a defence, and Piccolo gasped from the sudden pain. He staggered back for some steps and regained his balance.

No, he would not be defeated this easily. He used his tactical knowledge and fazed behind Vegeta, aiming for his head in one fluent movement. But he only managed to hit thin air, as Vegeta had zanzokened out of sight, too.

** Damn it, he's so fast! I can barely keep track of his movements! ** Piccolo thought before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Faster than he had been able to sense him Vegeta had reappeared behind him and had executed an elbow check to Piccolos neck.

This punch was nearly enough for Piccolo to render him unconscious, but he still had some reserves left. He sprang to his feet and aimed for Vegetas head, but Vegeta evaded his punch with ease. Even so the following punches.

Thus Piccolo decided to use some homing KI-blasts and fired them at a rapid pace, but Vegeta blocked them with ease.

This showed Piccolo just how much Vegeta had improved, and he had to admit to himself, that he was no match for him.

And then Vegeta fazed right in front of him and decked him with punches and kicks at a rate that soon became unblockable. As the first power punches coming up from this suped-up Super Saiyan penetrated his defences Piccolo knew that it soon would be over.

He made a back-flip and fired a Masenko at point-blank range, but Vegeta just smirked.

"Kamehame-ha!" came from the Saiyan Prince, and his Kamehame-ha wave, a technique he had learned from Goku, quickly overwhelmed the Masenko and sent Piccolo crashing into a wall outside the ring.

The fight was over!

_"And the winner is... Vegeta!"_ the alien announcer guy exclaimed, and the crowd cheered. That had been one display of power!

Outside the ring Piccolo got up to his feet and smirked. He went over to the Saiyan Prince and reached out his hand to congratulate the fellow Z-Fighter to his victory.

Vegeta smirked, took the hand and shook it.

"Time that you train more, Namek." he said.

The Namek smirked.

"Don't you worry, Vegeta, I will. We all have to be in top form; that has been our goal from the start. But I am proud that the training resulted in such an enormous increase in power for you." he said.

Vegeta smirk widened.

"Yeah, but I know that there is more. And I will reach it!" he stated.

Piccolo smirked. That was the Saiyan Prince as they knew him... determined to be the best!

But what Piccolo did not know was the fact that Vegetas mind was evolving around other themes than his victory or increase in power.

** I hope that my son will be able to reach these heights of power! If he does, he'll be able to beat the tin cans and avenge us. Make me proud, my son! **

As the two Z-Fighters rejoined their comrades, congratulations for Vegeta and sympathies for the loss for Piccolo were exchanged.

Now the real tournament could begin, and Goku, Gohan and Vegeta would be the fighters for the North quadrant that had made it to Round 2. Yeah, that would be one tournament, and the Saiyans could not await it. Only one Saiyan was asking himself if he would be strong enough... ...   
  
**to be continued...**

== Vegeta beat Piccolo in a display of his outstanding power!! But was that all the Saiyan Prince got? We will soon see! But now it is Gohan's turn to fight, and his opponent will be Jabadai! Will Gohan be able to beat the speedster with ease or will we come to see some surprises? Stay tuned! ==

Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! I think I'll be able to post the next chapter Monday with all the motivation you give me...

**And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx! **

**  
  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**  
Marshmellow13Dragon: Yeah, and Vegeta had the upper hand in the hand, although Piccolo gave a very good fight (in my opinion). Hope you liked it, and good that you didn't hurt yourself, although your other half does not seem too happy **

**  
dabaka: You're welcome. Glad that you liked it, and I'll try to cut it with the repetitions (although regarding transformations that will be hard...). Although I do it often designedly. As for the Ulibu-Gohan-fight and the Piccolo-Arrar-fight, I did it there because both opponents of our Z-Fighters displayed the will to fight till the end. 'No throwing in the towel here', and both Piccolo and Gohan acknowledged it. And no prob with you being critical, constructive criticism is always welcomed, no appreciated. How else should I improve? Thanks for helping (and I mean it)!**

**  
SupersayainkingTommy: Cool that you think those are good fights, thanks! Who will win the tournament is open to guesses, but Vegeta, Pikkon, Goku and Gohan are clearly among the favourites. And naturally I'll continue. This is as much fun to write than for you to read (hopefully)...        **

**  
Anthony1: Yeah, the first Round has ended with no real surprises. And the second round should get interesting (at least I try to make it). Videl simply had to react this way, cause Hercule will never learn and always need a good dressing down when stepping out of line...               **

**  
Digi fan: Videl showed him! Yeah! But Hercule is just too... narrow-minded to learn. Hope you liked the fight!****   
  
Kooriya Yui: Glad that you like it. I always wanted to write a story that reflects on what happened after Mirai Gohan's death. And I always wanted to write a tournament...  
As for the beta reader, I already have one...**

**  
CW: Hmm, he has not tapped into his hidden powers (yet). He has 'only' received an enormous boost in strength and power trough his death. As known, Saiyans increase their strength and power greatly when brought to the brink of death, and through dying Gohan even crossed this border.   
As for his arm, he knew how to fight with two arms before, it is no problem for him. Besides, he's a (demi-)Saiyan and adepts fast. And you're right, he's whole again in the afterworld. I dunno how old he's exactly, but I set his age in my fic around 24 years.**

**  
gaul1: Wait no longer, here it is .Glad that you liked the last one. And Vegeta got a bit teased, thanks for the idea!**

**  
Kitty86: No prob. I like signed reviews better, but I'm sometimes too lazy too. Glad that you love my story, I try to make it as good as I can.   
I simply had to include Videl and Hercule here, for Gohan has a right to come to know her. And Hercule has a right to being yelled at.  
Once you've finished your story (same nick?) tell me. Am always interested to read (and review) new stuff.   
I am absolutely honoured that you want to advertise my story. Thanks!**

**  
animeprincess1452: Yeah, and she should do it more, don't you think? As for the update, you're served...**

**  
DBZ Chick1: I always try to keep my promises, and I am delighted that you like this story. And thanks for the compliment. You ppl are all really motivating me, and I think the next fights will be even better...**

**  
  
Dooleys: sometimes you need a good kick in the butt, Jason. But thx that you reviewed, pal, and I will surely go and write more!**

**  
  
Advertising:**

**  
Goku the Fish, by Rose Vaughn: this is a very funny story in which Bra gets a pet, more exactly: a fish. How will Vegeta react? **

**the**** girl next door, by Zara M: a strange girl enters the lives of our Z-Fighters, changing it forvever. How? Read and find out!**


	12. Gohan versus Jabadai!

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**  
  
****Chapter Twelve: Gohan versus Jabadai!**

**  
  
Last time...**

As the two Z-Fighters rejoined their comrades, congratulations for Vegeta and sympathies for the loss for Piccolo were exchanged.

Now the real tournament could begin, and Goku, Gohan and Vegeta would be the fighters for the North quadrant. Yeah, that would be one tournament, and the Saiyans could not await it. Only one Saiyan was asking himself if he would be strong enough...

**  
  
Now the continuation...**

This question was quickly forgotten as it was now Gohan's turn to fight. He had seen his opponent Jabadai in action, and the little guy was fast. But he would find a way to deal with him...

Again it was the alien announcer guys turn to announce the next fight of Round 2.

_"Ladies, Gentleman and everything in between, it is my pleasure to announce the next fight of Round 2!!! This one will be decided between the North and the East quadrant!!! And here, after having beaten T'Nass in a very good fight I'm proud to present... Son Gohan!!!"_ he boomed into his mike, and the crowd cheered.

Gohan smiled.

"Now it's my turn..." he said, and the others patted him on the back or gave him the thumbs up.

The demi-Saiyan walked into the ring, and the cheering for him was quite loud. Yeah, fighting like this made loads of fun... he had nearly forgotten how it felt to fight just because one wanted to, in a friendly competition instead in a constant fight for survival.

Looking forward to the upcoming fight Gohan entered the ring from one side, to the loud cheers coming from the crowd. He noticed that one spectator was cheering particularly loud, and gave a smile to this person.

Gohan received an especially sweet smile from this certain young woman, waved at her and concentrated fully on the battle. He was prepared, and already the battlesong began to grow louder in his veins...

_"And in the other corner, after being victorious in a battle of speed, I give you Jabadai!!! Lets hear it for this great fighter and tournaments' veteran!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and the crowd did as told and cheered for Jabadai. But Gohan noticed that they cheered not as loud as they had for him...

Meanwhile Jabadai entered the ring from the other side and winked at the crowd. When he had entered the ring completely both fighters fell into fighting stances.

** Hmm, great fighter... regarding his size the announcer must be figuratively speaking... **Gohan mentally chuckled as he surveyed Jabadai, who was rather small in size.

However Gohan would not take him lightly. At the beginning of his training as a young boy his sensei Piccolo had warned him not to underestimate smaller opponents:

_'Not the size is decisive, Gohan. Assumptions based on outwardnesses might prove you wrong. Take each opponent seriously, or you might not be able to regret your false assumptions.'_

Gohan nodded as he remembered this. He was prepared. But before the fight would begin the Grand Kai had to give the signal, while the alien-announcer-guy stepped forward. The gong resounded...

_"You both know the rules, Gentlemen!!! Fight!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed and walked out of the ring. The fight was on...

Jabadai zoomed forward instantly, determined to end the fight before it really had begun. He had seen how strong this young man was, and didn't want to give him a chance to fight back.

The small fighter connected a blow to Gohan's chin, but the young demi-Saiyan did not fly back as Jabadai had planned. He merely staggered back! And that from his hardest blow!

** I have to keep moving and hit him as often as I can! Maybe that will weaken him! ** Jabadai thought.

_"And the first blow of this match has been connected!!! Although it did not seem to make much of an impression on its recipient, Son Gohan who took it like it was nothing!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed while Gohan fell into fighting stance again, a smirk crossing his features. That could get easier than he had thought, if that punch of Jabadai had been his best shot...

** I really can't take him lightly, he _is_ fast... **Gohan thought.

He had merely finished thinking this when he felt another blow connect, this time with his chest. Damn, that little guy was _really_ fast!

And then, faster than he could see the next blows connected! This time to his right and left cheek, and even faster than before! This time Jabadai had connected ten blows at a forced rate! And although these blows had not much of an effect, the fact that they were being dealt faster than he could see worried him.

His opponent had the advantage of being _much_ faster, and if he connected enough blows he might really have a chance to weaken him. But that would not happen! He won't let it happen!

"Man, this little guy is fast! Gohan nearly can't see him!" he heard Krillin's voice from outside the ring.

Gohan's face wore a determined expression as he powered up within his basic Saiyan form. He did not want to waste too much energy, and if he could beat the little speedster without powering up to Super Saiyan, so much better...

Once again Jabadai raced forward to connect a blow, but this time he was in for a surprise. Instead of having a free shot, his opponent suddenly blocked the punch that had been aimed for his gut.

Very surprised Jabadai zoomed back into a far corner of the ring, while Gohan was chasing him. But as much as the demi-Saiyan tried, he was not able to hit the little speeding fighter!

As much as he tried, his punches only met thin air. Jabadai avoided being hit furthermore due to his great speed, and the crowd had to follow the fight and Gohan's (at the moment futile) attempts to get a shot at Jabadai.

Suddenly Jabadai turned around, raced forward and connected six kicsk to the face of a very surprised Gohan. Said Gohan staggered back, and now he was officially angry. His face contorted, and he jumped several yards into the air.

** Okay, it can't be helped. He wants it the hard way, he gets it the hard way!! ** Gohan thought.

Suddenly a white aura surrounded Gohan as he started to power up with a scream, and soon this aura began to change. Then his hair began to stand on end and his aura changed completely to a blinding gold. His eyes turned turquoise and his muscles bulged subsequently.

The crowd was once again witnessing the spectacular Super Saiyan transformation and cooed 'Oohs' and 'Aahs', but it did not stop there this time!

Gohan wanted to make absolutely sure that he would have enough speed to overwhelm Jabadai quickly, and thus he showed the crowd and the other Z-Fighters for the first time how much his power had grown trough his death.

The demi-Saiyans' scream continued, and for the first time the Z-Fighters and the other fighters who could sense KI began to realize just how powerful this young man was. The width of Gohans' aura tripled, and the light he was emitting became blinding fast.

Outside the ring Vegeta gasped.

** That can't be! The brat is nearly as powerful as me! **

Everywhere spectators where shielding their eyes, and one of them, a certain young woman named Videl Satan was cheering loudest of all while shielding her eyes.

** He is soo powerful and cute! ** she thought.

Gohans' aura enlarged even more, and his energy was growing at rapid speed. Goku, who was standing with the other fighters smiled. Yeah, his son was doing well.

The young demi-Saiyan in the ring was grunting from the strain to increase his power.

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!" he exclaimed, and suddenly every muscle bulged even more as a blinding light coming from his aura engulfed the whole arena.

But Gohan was not finished yet. His power caused nearly the whole asteroid to tremble, and the final release of his power would have blown a lot of people from their seats, had it not been for the magical barriers surrounding the ring which prevented such.

Once the light cleared, Gohan looked a lot more impressive. He had become much more powerfully built, and his hair was standing even sharper on end than as a normal Super Saiyan. Yeah, Gohan had indeed ascended within the first level of Super Saiyan, and the spectators were impressed, as well as the Z-Fighters.

On the ground Jabadai was gasping open-mouthed at the powerhouse that was his opponent. He had known that he would be fighting a strong opponent, but what he saw and felt now was clearly off the charts. But he was a fighter, and he would not give up!

Suddenly Gohan descended from the sky, and once again the spectators had to look at the magical vid-screens to keep up with his movements. It was obvious that his speed had increased as much as his power, and it could only be called awesome.

Even Jabadai was nearly not able to see Gohan move, and as the demi-Saiyan connected a blow to his chin the force of this blow was earth-shattering.

Jabadai felt a sharp pain the threatened to end his consciousness right here and now, but with the last remains of his powers he managed to stay awake and he stopped the flight, sparing himself the fate of a ring out for now.

He came to his feet again and raced forward instantly, aiming his right fist directly for Gohans nose. But the demi-Saiyan blocked the punch with ease and deflected not only the incoming fist, but Jabadai himself!

The tiny fighter was sent into the air, and while he tried to stabilize his flight trough his KI he saw his opponent disappear. Suddenly he felt a huge power above, and the only thing he could do before the impact came was to say

"Uh oh!" and then another asteroid-shattering blow connected with his frame which sent him rocketing towards the ground.

Without enough power left to soften the impact Jabadai plummeted into the tournament ring, where he created an impact crater. White stone chips were flying everywhere, and when the dust had settled Jabadai did not get up again!

The announcer guy stepped into the ring and counted to ten.

_"8... 9... 10! And we have a winner!!! Son Gohan wins this fight by knock-out and proceeds to Round 3!!!"_ he yelled, and the crowd cheered once again ear-deafening.

Gohan smiled and waved to the crowd, powering down and out of Super Saiyan mode. After his power-up the fight had been a piece of cake, but it had been fun nevertheless. Yeah, for the first time in years he had his fun. And the best of all was: he did not regret it!

During the fights he had jumped to the conclusion that he could not do anything to influence the things down on Earth. Up here he could only do one thing: enjoy himself, train and become stronger to be prepared. And he would be prepared...

**to**** be continued... **

**  
== Gohan beat Jabadai with ease after he transformed into a Super Saiyan and has proceeded to the next round! The next fight will be decided between Goku and Pikkon, and some surprises are guaranteed! So stay tuned!  ==******

**  
Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! ******

**  
  
And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx! **

**  
A/N: I know this chapter was short, but Jabadai was really an easy opponent for Gohan! Well, that was Gohan's easy round, but I can promise you his next fights will be much harder! And the next fights will be much longer and action-packed. Promise!**

**  
  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**  
dabaka: you're welcome. And it's no problem if 'constructive criticism' turns into suggestions...  
As for the suggestions, I will try to bring in more variety. But I don't think I will throw in too many weak fighters (I think Jabadai was enough), that would soften up the tournament too much. I think the bravery of these warriors is already shown trough the fact that they are allowed to participate in the tournament...  
Glad that you liked the fight, and I let Piccolo use Masenko because its stronger and thus more effective than the Special Beam Cannon...  
As for writing a story: it's a good way to let your creativity out, and if you have ideas for stories go write them down! There is always time to write, I do it mostly in the train.**

**  
supersaiyaman: Glad that you liked the chapters and thanks for reading and reviewing them. You can be sure I will continue this story till the end, and the fights will get hotter.  
In my story the Z-Fighters (and most of all Vegeta) act civil towards each other, cause they all died for one cause, to defend Earth and their loved ones. And cause they did not manage to defeat the Androids they now had a common aim: to become stronger. And thus friendships and respect grew.**

**  
Digi fan: yeah, those two (and all the others) did train non-stop and improved very much. Just how much will be seen in the next fights...**

**  
DBZ Chick1: Thanks! I try to keep the pace, so the next chapter should be out by Friday (not much time during week, so it takes a bit longer...)**

**  
gaul1: Thank you! I will try my best!**

**  
rjectkd89: Yeah, he would have blown Frieza's ass to oblivion with a good Kamehameha at point-blank range...  
Glad that you liked it!**

**  
SupersayainkingTommy: Thanks! And that's one really creative attack you have thought up there. You should write a story and include it!**

**  
aydan07: I do my best to update as fast as possible! Glad that you like the story!**

**  
animeprincess1452: Yeah, Videl should give her dad a good dressing down much more often...  
Cool that you liked it!**

**  
Brandon B: Thanks for the compliment, and I agree, it's often way too easy. But I don't intend to give them an easy walk-over...         **

As for Gohan's strength, wait and see...

**  
Anthony1: This match was rather easy for Gohan, but the next will be very hard, as he has to fight another Z-Fighter, namely Vegeta, and also the others have hard nuts to crack...**

**  
Marshmellow13Dragon: Cool, I aim to please... yeah, Gohan will fight Vegeta, and it will get intense, so much I can promise. And Pikkon will be a hard nut to crack too.**

waves at Sarki cool, could need one too! 


	13. Goku versus Pikkon!

Yeaih! I managed to update as promised! And thanks to all my reviewers, I still can't believe that I had over 100 reviews before my 13th chapter. Thanx!!!**   
  
  
  
Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**  
  
****Chapter Thirteen: Goku versus Pikkon!**

**  
  
Last time...**

Gohan smiled and waved to the crowd, powering down and out of Super Saiyan mode. After his power-up the fight had been a piece of cake, but it had been fun nevertheless. Yeah, for the first time in years he had his fun. And the best of all was: he did not regret it!

During the fights he had jumped to the conclusion that he could not do anything to influence the things down on Earth. Up here he could only do one thing: enjoy himself, train and become stronger to be prepared. And he would be prepared...

**  
  
Now the continuation...**

After Gohan had stepped out of the ring and reserved a very special twinkle for a very special young woman he received the congrats from his fellow Z-Fighters.

"Man, it did not look too good at first... but then you gave us one hell of a surprise by powering up!" Krillin exclaimed, patting Gohans' back.

"Yeah kiddo, just how strong are you?" Yamcha asked, curiously and deeply impressed.

Gohan smiled.

"I think you will find out soon enough..." he said.

"You bet we will, brat!" a certain Saiyan Prince said, while Goku patted his son on the back.

"I am proud of you, Gohan. Not only let you go of your sorrows, but you displayed a strength that is impressive! I can't wait to match my powers with yours, son!" he exclaimed.

Gohan nodded.

"It's only a pity I did not have this power on Earth. When I was at the brink of death I felt a sudden enormous increase in power, but by then it was too late as the Androids blasted me to death. I only hope that Trunks will get strong enough with being blasted..."

_"And now, Ladies, Gentlemen and all in between, to the fight you all have been waiting, no, hungering for!!! It is the last fight of this round, and this one will influence the outcome of this tournament greatly!!! In this corner..."_

"That's my cue! Till later!" Goku exclaimed in his usual cheerful attitude and jumped into the ring.

_"... the two time winner of this tournament and holder of the title champion of the afterworld... SON GOKU!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and one could think that an explosion had just happened, for the crowd was cheering louder than ever.

_"And in this corner, the five time winner of this tournament and last times runner-up, one of the greatest fighters there is... PIKKON!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and again the crowd went into a roaring frenzy in anticipation of _the_ fight of Round 2.

Pikkon stepped into the ring, but before doing so completely he rid himself of his weighted clothing he was wearing for trainings purposes. Once he had curled it up he dropped it on the ground where it landed with a reverberating CLONK, and now Pikkon was ready.

Goku smiled, and Pikkon mirrored this smile. A smile full of anticipation in face of a challenge...

The fighters dropped into fighting stance, and the Grand Kai gave the signal. The announcer had stepped out of the ring, to be on the safe side.

_"Gentlemen, you know the rules!!! FIGHT!!!"_

The combatants surveyed each other, and Goku, well knowing how strong Pikkon was when he took of his weighted clothing powered up instantly into Super Saiyan mode, accompanied by the 'Oohs' and 'Aahs' of the crowd. And then the fight was joined...

Goku and Pikkon disappeared instantly, too fast for most of the spectators to follow, and once again nearly all of them had to look at the magical vid-screens to be able to follow the fight.

The fighters had launched themselves at each other at the same time and started to rake each other with gunfire. The magical video display showed everything in detail and the warriors were exchanging blows with enough force to compress the air.

The only thing that could be seen on the platform was the disturbances caused by air being compressed trough their blows. And they had not started low; they were going at a rapid pace! The crowd was going wild with excitement, some cheering for Goku, others for Pikkon, but most of them once again for blood.

Goku sent a flying kick to Pikkons face, which was blocked with one hand and countered. Goku nearly didn't see the punch that was flying at him with awesome speed, but he managed to block it in the last instant.

** Whoah, I've got to be careful! Pikkon has indeed trained... ** Goku thought.

He decided to up the anti and shot a blow for Pikkons gut, which was again blocked with ease. Seconds later the combatants were trading blows. Block. Punch. Block. Kick. Block. Counter. Roundhouse-kick. Block.

Suddenly Pikkon shot a fast kick to Goku's head that found only air, and moved his arms just in time to block a punch that was aimed for his face, then blocked Goku's knee from smashing his nose. Pikkon then executed a punch-blast-kick combo that had shown effect in former battles he had fought, but it was however ineffective before the Saiyans air-tight defence.

Pikkon jumped back a little and smiled. This was a great fight! He could sense that they had both improved, but he did not know just how much Goku really had improved during his training. Well, time to find out!

Suddenly Goku sensed a large increase in his opponent's power, and surely, Pikkon began to move in the attack pattern for his best attack! The Thunderflash attack... but didn't he know that this one was useless against him? He had found the flaw in it in their very first battle!

Wait! Pikkon would not be so stupid as to use it if he was not sure it would have an effect on him! So he watched his opponent closely...

** Damn it! He has improved the attack! The flaw is gone! ** Goku thought just as Pikkon clashed his fists against another and released a fiery-red blast at the surprised Goku.

"THUNDERFLASH ATTACK!!!" Pikkon yelled.

"Oh no!! Goku!!!" King Kai exclaimed while West Kai was celebrating. This was, however way too early...

For the Saiyan recovered quickly and unbeknownst to Pikkon he used his Instant Transmission to teleport to safety.

The blast impacted where he had been mere seconds before, and the excessive energy clashed into the magical barrier. Goku stayed hidden until the dust from the explosion had cleared, slowly raising his KI so that Pikkon would not notice. No, he would not underestimate Pikkon. No way! He would win this fight, even if he had to show them how strong he really had become!

As the dust had finally cleared Pikkon noticed of course that Goku was not lying in the impact crater and started a frantic search for his KI. Too late...

Just when Pikkon had found Goku, the Saiyan fazed out of sight again and uppercutted him hard on reappearance. This was followed by a spin kick to the stomach that caused Pikkon to gasp for air.

"Wheew..." King Kai let out the breath he had been holding, "that was close. Thought I had lost you there, Goku, heh heh..."

But the experienced fighter recovered quickly, for mere nano-seconds later he rushed forward and executed a kick-punch-roundhouse-kick-blast-punch-combo, and this time Goku was not able to block the last punch.

This one drove the air out of his lungs and he touched down on the ground. He managed to execute a backflip just in time to avoid another roundhouse-kick to the head.

Goku resumed his stance and a smirk crossed his features. This battle was after his taste...

"Good one, Pikkon! But now it's my turn!"

The other fighter gestured him in a 'then-come-and-get-it' way, and took up into the air. Goku grinned and felt the battle-lust increase. He demonstrated speed beyond what the others thought possible and fazed out. On reappearance he punched the taller warriors gut hard and then hammered him into the ground with an asteroid-shaking blow.

Pikkon was hit hard as he had bargained for more than he could take, and as the tournament ring itself had not been protected by enchantments Pikkon created an impressive impact crater and chips of stone were flying everywhere.

But the taller fighter got up fast and resumed the fight and flew at his opponent with renewed determination. Goku did the same, his face plastered with a fully concentrated expression and he met Pikkon halfway. They clashed, and Pikkon was the first to attack, but once again Goku was able to block all attacks coming from the green-skinned man.

Soon they were trading blows again, and on one occasion the Pikkon got a punch in and hit Goku at the chin. But the Saiyan just smiled, thriving completely in battle and hit the other warrior back hard in revenge. This caused Pikkon to float back.

They continued to trade blows for some minutes, and Goku noticed that Pikkon had become as strong as him in this level. If he wanted to win this fight he would have to reveal his true power, but he needed the right occasion to power up further. Thus he began to raise his KI slowly but steadily, and prepared a diversion to execute his power-up to full heights...

Unthinkingly he blocked a punch that had been aimed for his chest, upped the anti by bringing some distance between them and fired ten homing KI-blasts that all followed Pikkon. The taller warrior had no choice but to outrun the blasts, giving Goku the perfect opportunity to power-up.

Goku then started his power-up, and his golden aura flared back to life. He began to scream, and his hair began to stand more on end. His scream continued and the whole stadium began to shake, and for the first time the Z-Fighters and the other fighters who could sense the growing KI of Goku began to realize just how powerful this Saiyan really was. The width of his aura extended more and more, and the light he was emitting became blinding fast.

The crowd was once again witnessing a spectacular transformation and cooed loud 'Oohs' and 'Aahs', but Goku was not finished! Not for a long time yet!

"Holy moly, this is insane! Just how high can Goku really go??" Tien asked out loud, and all the others were asking themselves this same question as they watched Goku powering up further, their mouths hanging open from shock.

Everywhere spectators where shielding their eyes, and they could feel the growing power emitted by Goku.

The Saiyans' aura grew even bigger, and his energy was growing at rapid speed.

But the transformation was also taking its toll, as Goku was grunting from the strain to ascend up to his full power.

"Arrrrgggggggggghhhhhh!" he exclaimed, and suddenly every muscle bulged even more, and a blinding light coming from his aura engulfed the whole arena.

But he was still not finished yet. His power caused the ground to shake like wild, and each and every spectator was gasping open-mouthed. Suddenly KI-Bolts were striking out from Goku, and he was emitting power like a nuclear reactor.

His already impressive muscles bulged even more, and his hair gained a razor-sharp quality and stood sharp on end.

As the impressive power-up continued the muscles in arms, legs and all over the whole body bulged. Finally he finished his transformation with releasing his energy in a final display of power and a mighty roar.

There stood Goku, surrounded in a golden aura of astounding proportions. He was radiating even more power than anyone had ever seen or felt before. The KI-Bolts surrounding his body snapped everywhere. It was quite a sight, and VERY impressive.

King Kais' eyes nearly jumped out of their orbits when he saw just how strong Goku had become. Then he saw West Kais shocked features and nearly burst out laughing.

"Aww, is my fosterling too strong?" he taunted.

In a manner not up to his usual standards West Kai replied

"Arg, shut your mug!" while King Kai smiled satisfied, nearly tempted to perform a tap-dance to annoy West Kai even more. Once again Goku had proven just how strong he was, and King Kai could not have been happier. The look on West Kais face had been priceless...

Outside the ring Vegeta gasped once again.

** I'll be damned! Kakkarot has done it! And that before me! Grrr... **

"I can't believe how strong he is!" Gohan exclaimed, and all other Z-Fighters nodded in awe.

"This is way out of our league!" Krillin exclaimed, and the other human fighters nodded. There was no chance in hell that they would ever become this powerful. It was mind-boggling...

The crowd whistled and yelled, for they had never before seen someone this powerful! They threw confetti and all other related stuff, while Hercule Satan slumped back into his seat wondering what in the world was going on. All those damned light-shows...

"Yeah, kid, his power has grown far beyond what I ever thought possible. That confirms that there is still hope..." Piccolo said.

"You mean for Earth? Right, but only if Trunks is able to become as strong..." Gohan mused.

_"Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, would you look at this!!! The power Son Goku is displaying here is truly and totally awesome!!! This is completely off the charts!!! What can Pikkon do against someone this powerful???"_ the announcer exclaimed, while the crowd cheered loudly at this demonstration of power they had recently witnessed.

Back at the fight and high above also Pikkon had felt the huge jump in his opponents KI, and he knew that that did not bode well for him. He had outrun the KI-blasts by guiding them into the different celestial bodies, but due to Goku's ultimate display of power Pikkon knew that his chances to win looked now very remote. But he never ran away in face of a challenge, nor would he ever!

He had just steadied his determination when Goku suddenly disappeared from the platform down below. Pikkon had barely enough time to sense a huge power above him when his face made acquaintance with a fist. A fist that dealt an Earth-shattering blow, harder than anything he had ever felt in his whole existence, alive or dead.

Nearly half-unconscious from Goku's blow Pikkon rocketed towards the ground and impacted there with enough force to send a cloud of dust into the air.

_"And Pikkon has been hit hard by this world-shattering punch and is down for the first time!!! And let alone watching hurt!!! Will he recover from that one??"_ the announcer yelled, and the spectators agreed. That had indeed looked very Ouch...

This time Pikkon had difficulties to stagger to his feet.

** Whoa, he is a lot stronger and faster! This last blow nearly put my lights out... ** Pikkon thought, when he suddenly felt Goku's energy on the ground again.

** He's so fast! This is unbelievable! **the green-skinned fighter thought, but he was determined to fight back, even if his opponent was so overwhelmingly strong.

_"Dear spectators, have you seen this speed??! That's overwhelming!!!"_ the announcer yelled, and the crowd went into a roaring frenzy. No one had ever been _this_ fast, and the present speedsters went green with envy.

Goku was still standing in the other corner, surrounded by a sea of KI-bolts, obviously waiting for Pikkon's next move. And that came!

Once again Pikkon's energy skyrocketed as he prepared his best attack, the one he had practised on day and night (figuratively speaking) and which was by now flawless. He made his signature movements, and...

"THUNDERFLASH ATTACK!!!"

Once again a fiery-red blast exited out of his fists, and the blast flew at Goku at breakneck-speed. But this time the Saiyan made no attempts to teleport away... Odd!

Instead Goku seemed to power-up even more, and when the blast had reached him he did something Pikkon had not though possible... he simply swatted his best attack away! With one hand!

Pikkon was completely bug-eyed by now as his Thunderflash-Attack impacted into the magical barrier, and slowly it began to dawn on him just how powerful Goku had really become...

_"Have I seen what I just saw??! Son Goku has deflected this supposedly undeflectable blast of Pikkon!!! Incredible!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and the spectators, of which quite a few had experienced the Thunderflash-attack firsthand cheered loudly. This Goku really was something else…

Pikkon was of the same opinion, but then a determined expression entered his face, and the green-skinned warrior steadied himself for the next exchange of blows. Goku suddenly leapt into the air and zanzokened out of sight. He reappeared right before Pikkon, too fast for the warrior to see.

He barely managed to block the first barrage of punches Goku had thrown at him, but he was determined to fight back. He would go down fighting!

Pikkon was able to return the favour with a roundhouse-kick-punch-blast combo, but the ease with which Goku blocked all of those blows was unnerving!

He sent blow after blow at Goku and even decked him with a hailstorm of blasts, but again Goku was able to block all of these attacks with ease and began a new offensive.

Pikkon sensed the drastic increase in the attacks strength coming from his opponent, and he knew that the Saiyan was now determined to end the fight.

The warrior was barely able to block the last punch that had been aimed for his gut, and was now breathing heavily. Goku was clearly the better, and although Pikkon had done nothing but train it seemed that his opponents training had been a special one...

And as if on cue, Goku increased the tempo even more and hit Pikkons' defences with World-shattering blows which the green-skinned fighter was nearly unable to block.

Pikkon knew that Goku was too strong for him now, but he would give the spectators his best. Thus he launched himself at the Saiyan again and decked him with a hailstorm of punches and kicks, followed by a roundhouse-kick-blast-chop-combo.

Goku blocked or countered everything thrown at him with ease, and then decided to take matters into his own hands once again.

The Saiyan leapt forward at Pikkon and sent another hail of super-fast punches at him which were driving the other fighter constantly back.

Goku even increased the strength of his attacks, and the mismatched Pikkon could barely put up any defence, and a hard blow slammed against the side of his head that nearly knocked him out. Pikkon was seeing stars, and Goku cut back super-fast.

He slammed Pikkon over the head again, and with one final roar using all of his strength, Goku drove the fist into Pikkon face.

The other warrior was sent flying, and this time he could do nothing to stop his flight out of the ring. He had used up all of his energy and was not able to fight back any more.

Pikkon impacted against a far wall and slumped to the ground, unconscious. The fight was over!

And King Kai was completely beside himself with joy...

"Yeah, Goku! Well done!" he exclaimed while doing a victory dance, and Goku winked at him smiling.

_"Ladies, Gentlemen and all in between, there is really no worse way to loose!!! Ring out and unconscious!!! This makes Son Goku the winner!!!"_ the announcer guy exclaimed, and the crowd celebrated the winner with standing ovations and ear-deafening cheers.

Goku walked out of the ring under the cheers of the crowd and went straight to Pikkon, who had by now regained his consciousness. The green-skinned fighter had sat up and smirked at Goku.

"That was a good fight, Goku. I really enjoyed it, although you've proven to be my better once again."

Goku just smiled, stretched out his right hand and offered his help. Pikkon took it without hesitation and Goku helped Pikkon to his feet.

"I agree, Pikkon. I would not have thought that it would become necessary to display my true power, but you have improved greatly!"

Pikkon nodded.

"As have you, Goku, as have you..."

Together the two fighters walked towards where the Z-Fighters and Pikkons fellow fighters were standing, and both fighters received congrats for an awesome fight.

It had indeed been a good fight, and Goku was looking forward to the next round...

**to**** be continued...**

== Goku ascended to the second level of Super Saiyan and put Pikkons' lights out! And the next fight will be decided between Gohan and Vegeta as Round Three is about to begin! Who will be the stronger of those two and proceed to the finale? Stay tuned! ==

Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! And don't forget, more reviews = more motivation, and more motivation = a better story and faster updates, so please review!

**And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx! **

**  
  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**  
Dirbatua: Cool that you like it, and your right, one doesn't find many Mirai stories that are worth the read (hope this one is, but it is not to me to judge it). Thanks again for the info on GT!**

**  
rjectkd89: Oh yeah, he will do so. And the next fights will be even longer and more intense...**

**  
Candy the Duck: No prob. Glad that you liked the chapters, and you're right, some fights were too easy, but the tough ones are about to start, or better, have already started. As for your spelling, I understand everything perfectly...**

**  
Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: yeah, those two are pretty strong and could put our lights out with one flick of a finger. Gohan and Vegeta have both ascended to the level Goku, Gohan and Vegeta had reached in the other timeline after their visit in the hyperbolic timechamber. As you saw, Goku has reached SSJ2. The others have not (yet**

****

animeprincess1452: Thank you! I always try to update as soon as possible, and I think on most occasions I succeed...

**  
Sergeant Pepper: Cool that you like my stories. As for the attacks, you may be right there, it all depends on how much energy the user infuses into the attack, which depends on the persons' power-level. Thus a Special Beam Cannon could be stronger than a Masenko if fired by a stronger user...**

**  
Anthony1: Yeah, this one was admittedly quite easy for Gohan, but he won't have such a walk-over next time. I hope the fight Goku and Pikkon had here was nearly as good as the one in the show, I did give it my best…  
And the next fights will of course contain more action**

**  
dabaka: You almost got me there for a second, lol…  
And you're welcome. Someone who knows that much about the show (got some ideas from that I will use later on) should write a story to create a balance to learning for the exams. I do so myself, btw.   
I am glad that you liked the chapter, although it was short I gave it my best. I like to think I managed to do so well…  
As for Videl, as a spectator she was bound to see the powers of the Z-Fighters sooner or later, but she has not found out about the backgrounds, heh…**

**  
Digi fan: Thanks for your trust in me. I hope I managed to live up to the expectations…**

**  
Rose Vaughn: You will soon know. And I think it will be good…**

**  
Marshmellow13Dragon: Oh man, me with a muse… that would mean I would be on a roll every day. I don't think the world (and lest my wife) could take that, lol…**

As for the fight Veggie vs. Gohan, which will be next, well, some surprises will ensue, heh…

**  
DBZ Chick1: Yeiah!! My HUNDRETH REVIEWER!!! Thank you! Most of the time I keep my promises, thus, here it is! Hope you liked it…**

**  
SupersayainkingTommy: So you created your own Saiyan character? That's cool! Let him train with the Z-Fighters and become stronger, befriend with Gohan and let him become stronger too. He could take the path of the warrior with this Saiyan as his best friend. If anything, Gohan always lacked a friend around his age. Just a few suggestions… and the attack is creative!  
Glad that you liked the chapter!**

**  
ChaserX: Thanks! Gohan did not ascend to the second level (yet), he is at the level Vegeta ascended to first and which he used to beat the crap out of Cell in his second form.**


	14. Round Three!

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**  
  
****Chapter Fourteen: Round Three!**

**  
  
Last time...**

Together the two fighters walked towards were the Z-Fighters and Pikkons fellow fighters were standing, and both fighters received congrats for an awesome fight.

It had indeed been a good fight, and Goku was looking forward to the next round...

**  
  
Now the continuation...**

Soon after Goku's victory the next and last fight of the second Round was announced. This one was rather unspectacular, and Marak pulled his inflation move again on his opponent Alamba.

But in contrast to his first opponent Tantar who had only had his speed as a weapon Alamba proved to be too strong for this. At first Alamba had been pushed out of the ring, but then, as Marak had been nearly fully inflated the blue-haired man had simply lifted his opponent and thrown him out of the ring.

This did not matter much to East Kai, for she was so proud that one of her fosterlings actually had reached the third round that she even forgot to punish Marak. This was the best tournament yet for her, and she would have a few surprises for the other Kai's and their fosterlings...

Although she had to admit it, King Kai aka North Kai had a lot of strong fighters in his rows...

The the alien-announcer-guy stepped into the ring after Alamba had beaten Marak.

_"Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, we have a winner!!! Alamba takes the last fight of Round Two!!! Right now we will take a break as the fixtures for the next round will be decided!!!" _he yelled, and the crowd cheered.

Some time passed by as the next fights were once again magically determined, and once they were the alien announcer guy stepped up in the ring again.

"Ladies, Gentlemen and all in between, the fights of Round Three have been determined!!! And here they are!!!" he yelled, and the two guys who had rolled in the fixtures of Round 1 before rolled in another blackboard with the next rounds brackets.

Clearly visible written on it was:

_Fight One: Vegeta (North quadrant) versus Gohan (North quadrant)_

_Fight Two: Goku (North quadrant) versus Alamba (East quadrant)_

_"The first fight of Round Three will begin shortly!!! So please remain seated while the platform is restored!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed.

And really, one could see the witch Uranai Baba who was using her magic to restore the ring, which had been damaged to some extent during the last fight.

**Outside of the ring...**

"So, brat, this time we will be facing each other. Don't expect me to hold back just because you taught my son. Understood?" Vegeta asked with a stern look.

A look that was mirrored by Gohan. He had seen so many cruelties that he could not be intimidated by anything.

"Perfectly, Vegeta. And don't expect _me_ to hold back either."

The Saiyan Prince nodded. Now that that was clear the remaining fighters made some warm-ups to stay warm. Gohan was making some vertical push-ups on one finger, while Vegeta was fighting with an imaginary opponent at rapid speed. This would be an interesting fight...

_"Ladiiiess, Gentlemeeen and all in between!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy shouted. _"The damage to the platform has been expertly repaired by Uranai Baba and we are now ready for the first fight of Round Three!!!"_

The crowd once again burst into a roaring frenzy. They were throwing confetti and all other related articles while crying themselves hoarse. Never before had they seen fights like this, and they were glad to be here. This was awesome!

_"This fight will be decided between two of the strongest fighters of this tournament!!! You all know them by now, Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else in between… and here, in this corner, trained by the great Son Goku…"_

"Till later, guys!" Gohan said and the others gave him the thumbs up as he made it to the ring.

_"... and the demon king Piccolo… lets hear it for Son Gohan!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy finished, and the crowd cheered loudly. If what they had shown before was any indicator to what would happen in this fight it had to be good!

Meanwhile Gohan had entered the ring and waved at the crowd. Man, that did good! Now he knew why he had missed fighting like this…

From above Videl was cheering loudly, and Gohan smiled up at her and gave her a brief wink.

_"And in the other corner… I give you Prince Vegeta!!! Originally coming from the planet Vegeta-sei in the __South Qudrant__ this mighty warrior defended Earth in a vain attempt and gave his life!!! He is the son of King Vegeta of Vegeta-sei and the Prince of all Saiyans!!! Lets hear it for Prince Vegeta!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy yelled, and like before the crowd cheered loudly as Vegeta walked into the ring.

** Hmm, this time he is giving more background info… interesting… ** both Gohan and Vegeta thought.

Vegeta walked into the ring confidently and once he had stepped into the ring completely the alien-announcer guy stepped forward, like he done in the fights before. And naturally he would be explaining the rules again…

_"Okay, Gentlemen!! You know the rules!!! So lets get ready!!!"_

And once again the alien-announcer guy walked off the platform, and took his security measures as he stood behind the magic forcefield. He knew that this fight could get really tough too…

Both fighters dropped into stances. They nodded at each other, determined expressions plastered n their faces. Then the Grand Kai gave the signal, and the battle was joined!

Moving faster than all spectators on the seats could see Vegeta and Gohan fought with utmost ferocity all over the platform. Still in their basic Saiyan modes, their powers were evenly matched. Every move Vegeta made was countered or blocked by his opponent and the other way around.

Sure, this was merely a warm-up and probing, but it was a nice display of their fighting techniques. Gohan's fighting style was fluid and thorough in its execution, the result of constant years of training and fighting, but Vegeta' fighting style based on what he had been taught on Vegeta-sei could unquestioningly compare.

Again the spectators only heard the blows being dealt at jackhammer speed all around them, including the air, for even if Gohan and Vegeta were still in their basic Saiyan forms they were still much faster than any untrained human eye.

Both combatants had taken to the air, and continued trading blows, while the spectators watched them go at the magical vid-screens. Some of them were cheering already, but most of them guessed that they would be seeing a lot more action shortly...

Vegeta shot a swift kick to Gohan's head that only found air, and moved his left hand just in time to defend his gut against a punch of Gohans' who had reappeared in his side, then he moved his right hand just in time to block a knee from his face.

He then went into the offensive himself and executed a kick-blast-kick combo that was however ineffective before Gohans most efficient defence as the younger Saiyan blocked everything with ease. Already at full normal power, Vegeta saw that the years of constant training were paying off. His smile grew bigger and he was thoroughly enjoying the fight.

The Saiyan Prince could see the same expression in Gohans eyes, the absolute concentration and drive in eyes that half an hour ago had been completely absorbed by this raven-haired girl he had been drooling over. Yeah, this young man understood his true heritage, the call of Saiyan blood, the legacy of this great fighter race...

** Of our race... ** Vegeta thought.

Vegeta was suddenly pulled off his train of thoughts by a massive increase in the intensity of Gohan's attack. His opponent's fists barely missed his face the last time, but Vegeta reacted instinctively and threw up his arms to defend himself against the incoming fist. Back in action he executed a punch-blast-kick-combo to repay his opponent.

But again Gohan blocked and countered, pushing Vegeta back with an even bigger increase of his attacks strength. Only then Vegeta realized how much of Kakkarot was in him, for Gohan was so totally absorbed by the battle like Kakkarot had always been. He felt the drive of the battle, and he gave into it completely. It made Vegeta proud...

"KA... ME... HA... ME… HAAAAA!!!" Gohan cried seconds later and without warning, releasing the full power of the energy blast into his Vegeta's face at point blank range. The area around them was engulfed in bright light from the explosion, and the shockwave it produced made the whole stadium shake down to its foundations. Gladly the stadium was protected by the forcefield...

Vegeta had shielded himself from the blast at the last moment possible and charged at Gohan with full force. He instantly decked him with a hailstorm of punches, but Gohan dodged the blows and charged forwards himself, surprising the Saiyan Prince.

Gohan slammed his fist into Vegeta's nose, stunning him momentarily, and then landed a crushing upper-cut to Vegeta's chin. Falling back into position he then started gathering KI.

Vegeta had recovered and knew what he was about to do and did the same. He powered up into Super Saiyan Level One and blasted at Gohan who was already charging at him in the same mode, wearing a fierce grin which displayed his excitement.

_"And now these fierce fighters have taken it up to the next level, and the fight is really getting hot!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy exclaimed, and the crowd cheered loudly. Now they would see something for their money...

They clashed and the energy from that clash could be seen and felt as the fighters fought seemingly full out in Super Saiyan Level One mode. Both fighters hit each other at the same time and flew back, but in a flash they were after each other again.

Gohan had recovered as first and he charged straight at Vegeta and made to punch him. But Vegeta dived out of the way. The younger Saiyan followed with a fast kick that aimed for Vegeta' ribcage, but the Saiyan Prince was able to block it. Gohan then did a reverse flip and thus avoided being hit by a roundhouse kick of Vegeta. They continued to exchange blows for some minutes, but none of them was able to gain the upper hand.

Suddenly Gohan heard a voice in his head.

** Brat, we should take it up a notch. This is getting boring! ** the Prince of all Saiyans told him telepathically.

Gohan nodded.

** I agree, Vegeta. We've had enough of a warm-up. Time to go all out! **

And with a mighty roar the Saiyans started their power-ups. Their golden auras flared back to life and enveloped them completely, growing in size rapidly. The crowd began to coo 'Oohs' and 'Aahs' at seeing this...

"WHOA, MAN, THIS IS SOO INTENSE!!!" a certain raven-haired young woman among the spectators screamed with enthusiasm. Gohan had looked hot and strong before as whatever he had transformed into, but as his strength was increasing more and more so did Videls fascination of Gohan.

Down on the battlefield the strain in Gohans' and Vegeta' faces increased in accord with their rapidly growing KIs. Veins started bulging out of their foreheads and their teeth grinded against each other so hard that it could be heard even on the spectator's seats.

"AAAARRRRRHHH!!!!" the Saiyans howled in unison, as their KIs exploded in a shockwave of golden light that engulfed the whole stadium.

Every single person in the stadium was paying rapt attention to the fight, eager not to miss one action those two made or would make.

As the light caused by their transformations faded away the spectators could see that their hair stood now sharper on end and their power had grown massively. They had both ascended within the first level of Super Saiyan and their appearance was most impressive, for the Saiyans had both grown some inches and their muscle-mass had increased largely.

"That's more like it." Vegeta commented with compassion in his voice.

Gohan nodded, drive obvious in his eyes.

"I agree. Let's settle this..."

**to**** be continued...**

== Evil cliffhanger! Gohan and Vegeta have both powered up to their estimated maxs! Who will gain the upper hand? Vegeta? Or still Gohan? Stay tuned! ==

Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! I'm quite sure that I will have the next chapter out at Thursday. Till then!

**And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx! **

**  
  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**SupersayainkingTommy****: Thanks! But Pikkon's chances to win were very slim after Goku ascended, and I think Pikkon lost to his better.**

**As for your story: sounds great, the only thing I pick on is Hercule being turned into a Saiyan. Why?? He does not deserve something like that!**

**  
  
Candy the Duck: Yup, one could feel sorry for Vegeta, but that only strengthens his determination to become stronger...**

**  
  
animeprincess1452: Thanks for the compliment, my dear princess. I am glad that you liked it!**

**  
  
KyLewin: Hey, cool that you like my story and thanks for pointing out the flaws. I did in fact base it on HOT, but I didn't know for sure if Chi-Chi had been killed by the Androids or not.**

**I always try to avoid repetitions, but sometimes they do happen, sigh...**

**True, Goku had an easy time after ascending, but you said it yourself, Pikkon could not keep up any more. And the hyper-tornado-attack would have been useless, for Goku was even stronger than the other Goku in the 'original' timeline. But you're right, it was a cool attack...**

**As for calling the Androids 'tin cans', I will vary that one, you're right. And Videl did fall for Gohan so fast cause he is a great and cute fighter, and she's attracted by his power, behaviour and looks. Well, duh, I just let her fall for him, I guess...  
Videl and Hercule still have their bodies cause they tried to defend Earth from the Androids, but got killed. Thus Lord Enma decided they could keep their bodies cough... cough  
Oh yeah, I loved to give ****East Kai**** a good dressing down, she deserved that, heh.**

**And I think too that Goku would have really done something like that...**

**  
  
rjectkd89: You will soon find out...**

**  
  
DBZ Chick1: Yup, you are. Glad that you liked it, and there will be coming more...**

**  
  
Anthony1: Thank you! I am glad that you liked the fight, and the fight Vegeta vs. Gohan will be hot, too...**

**  
  
Brandon B: You know, Pikkon could not keep up any more once Goku had ascended to SSJ2. And I think the Goku of the other timeline had still quite a way before he reached SSJ2. But that's just my opinion...**

**Glad that you like the story, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**  
  
gaul1: You mean for a Genki Dama? I think not, he will fight with his own energy...**

**And I will do my best to keep up the good work.**

**  
  
Marshmellow13Dragon: Yup, sure was. And you will soon see if he ascends, for those two are now going all out. I am glad that you liked the fight Goku vs. Pikkon. Greeting to your muse Sarki!**


	15. Vegeta vs Gohan, full out!

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**  
  
****Chapter Fifteen: Vegeta versus Gohan – full out!**

**  
  
Last time...**

As the light caused by their transformations faded away the spectators could see that their hair stood now sharper on end and their power had grown massively. They had both ascended within the first level of Super Saiyan and their appearance was most impressive, for the Saiyans had both grown some inches and their muscle-mass had increased largely.

"That's more like it." Vegeta commented with compassion in his voice.

Gohan nodded.

"I agree. Let's settle this."

**Now the continuation...**

Both fighters were now a lot bulkier and much more powerful, and they instantly took stances before launching at each other. They wore an expression of wild excitement as they flew at each other with outstretched fists, and the force of their connecting punches was enough to produce a sonic boom.

Whoever watched the platform and was not able to move at their speed would only have seen blurs, for Gohan and Vegeta kept fazing in and out of sight exchanging blows at a rapid pace.

Vegeta launched himself at Gohan again and decked him with a blurry of punches and kicks, followed by a blast-punch-kick-blast-combo.

Gohan however blocked everything thrown at him with ease, and then decided to return the favour and enter the fun.

He leapt forward at his opponent and sent a hail of punches at him which were driving Vegeta constantly back. Vegeta reached deeper into his power reserves and his defence improved instantly.

He was now able to keep up with Gohan again and upped the anti. Vegeta launched a series of punches and kicks and was able to hit Gohan hard in the face.

_"And Son Gohan has been hit by this barrage of blows coming from Vegeta!! Will the Saiyan Prince be able to gain the upper hand now???"_ the announcer yelled into his mike while Videl held her breath.

But Gohan floated backwards, regained his balance quickly and paid Vegeta back by upper-cutting him in one fast movement.

Gohan raced after him instantly, intent to press his advantage, but Vegeta was able to catch himself right in time to block Gohans' punch that had aimed for his nose. He tossed the hand aside and kicked his opponent back.

The Saiyan Prince then tried to hammer Gohan into the ground, but his double-fisted blow was blocked by the smiling Gohan.

"Nice try, Vegeta." he said

This went on some minutes and both fighters were able to land some hits, until they finally decided that it was time to go full out.

They launched at each other faster than anyone who had not reached this level of power could see, and even Piccolo had to look at the magical vid-screens too in order to be able to watch the ongoing fight.

Once Vegeta and Gohan had launched at each other all Z-Fighters except Goku had seen nothing but two streaks.

The Saiyans had launched at each other at the same time and started to rake each other with gunfire. The magical video display showed everything in detail and the warriors were exchanging blows with enough force to compress the air, creating loud sonic booms wherever they clashed. The only thing that could be seen on the platform was the disturbances caused in the air by their blows.

And they were going at rapid speed! The crowd was going wild with excitement, some cheering for Vegeta, others for Gohan, while Gohan's personal fan-club was cheering especially loud...

Gohan managed to connect a blow with Vegeta's chin, but Vegeta paid his opponent back and drove his fist into Gohans' nose, then blasted his face with a Galeck Gun of medium intensity.

The younger Saiyan recovered quickly, blurred out and reappeared right before Vegeta, ramming him in the guts with a doublefisted blow.

Intent to give him no chance to recover he cut back and aimed another blow for Vegeta's face, but this time the Saiyan Prince blurred out and reappeared behind and under Gohan were he grabbed his legs and threw the younger Saiyan towards the ground.

The surprised Gohan had no time to react or regain his composure completely as Vegeta pressed his advantage and decked the younger Saiyan with a barrage of blows.

But Gohan recovered quickly and blocked the older Saiyans' last punch and punched him in the face in revenge. He then cupped his hands to his side and released a Kamekameha-wave of enormous intensity that cost him a medium amount of effort, and worked, as it stunned Vegeta long enough for him to perform his choice-technique.

"MASENKO-HA!!!" he yelled, and let loose a spiral of energy from his palm that impacted on Vegeta and detonated upon contact in an enormous explosion. Gohan floated in mid-air, curious how his choice-technique had worked.

_"Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, have you seen this!! The young Son Gohan released an enormous energy attack at his opponent and hit him dead on!! And right now I can't see how badly Vegeta has been hit!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy exclaimed, and everyone was waiting tensely for the field to clear.

And suddenly, in the cloud that had been created by the explosion a body flared up, covered in a blinding golden aura. Seconds later an even larger explosion of golden light cleared the dust and Vegeta was in the middle, a bit short of breath but not too harmed.

** Oh, man! ** Gohan thought. ** He's powered up to block my attack! Seems he has improved even more than he showed during his fight against Piccolo... **

_"He has taken it without the slightest scratch!! Prince Vegeta is completely unharmed!! This is fantastic!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy exclaimed, and the spectators were cheering madly.

Gohan on the other hand found it all but fantastic...

"Not half bad, brat! Not half bad at all..." Vegeta commented.

"Yeah, but you have seen nothing yet!" Gohan shouted. Straining his limits, he pushed himself even further as he tapped into power-reserves he never knew he had. And his KI rose to new heights.

With a loud roar he charged at Vegeta and managed to connect an Earth-shattering blow to Vegetas face which sent the older Saiyan flying.

Vegeta caught himself in time however and was now officially angry. That had hurt! Damned brat! The anger fuelled his powers and he was able to strain his limits even further.

Gohan had no time to celebrate his hit, for Vegeta immediately charged at him, his KI now slightly larger than Gohans'. With a battle-cry Vegeta slammed a left hook into the side of Gohan's face and sent him flying towards the ground.

_"Wow!!! This time Son Gohan has been in for it!!! One could feel the force of this blow Vegeta exerted even down here!!! Phenomenal!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy exclaimed, and the crowd shared his opinion. This fight was indeed phenomenal...

Despite the shock from the Asteroid-shattering punch he had received by Vegeta and the pain in his face, Gohan managed to turn in time and fall on his feet.

The ground however was completely destroyed where he landed, and through the force of his impact splinters of stone were sent flying everywhere against the protective force-field. Gohan got his guard-up just in time as Vegeta fell upon him and decked him with a barrage of blows.

Vegeta had now a slight power-advantage and Gohan had a hard time to keep his defence up, as even blocking Vegeta's punches became nearly too painful, and the rate of his attacks had become so much in intensity that the blows became nearly undodgeable.

With all his might he strained the limits of his power even further, his KI rising in intensity. He had now nearly become equal in power to Vegeta, and his defence improved.

But not enough, as Vegeta soon gained the upper hand and managed to connect a punch-blast-kick-combo that sent Gohan flying into the air.

A certain raven-haired woman called out loud "Oh no!", obviously very worried.

But before Vegeta could carry out any further actions Gohan suddenly stopped his uncontrolled flight and anger became obvious on his face.

This was when Gohan saw red.

** Damn it, I am not gonna lose! I was too weak all my life, I could not kill the Androids, I failed all my life and let everyone down! I never will AGGAAIINN!!! ** he thought fiercely and suddenly something in him just snapped. It was as if a secret vent had opened within him, releasing more power than he had ever felt!

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" the son of Goku exclaimed and exploded in power that made the whole arena rattle despite the protective enchantments that had been put in place.

_"Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, what is this???__ Son Gohan seems to be powering up even further!!! Just how strong is this young man really???" _the alien-announcer guy asked.

Down below not only Vegeta felt this increase in his opponents power and was asking himself the same question, it was noticed everywhere. All Z-Fighters were asking himself just how Gohan managed to increase his power so much, all but one...

"He is finally tapping into his hidden powers!!" Piccolo exclaimed, and the others wondered what he meant by this.

At seeing their dumbfounded expression Piccolo explained

"You all know that I trained Gohan when he was just a little boy. After I knew what he could do when his anger was awakened I provoked him, and he managed to unleash his hidden potential and destroyed a whole mountain. At the age of five! It seems now that he is tapping into this hidden powers again." the Namek explained.

Standing beside Piccolo Goku could not believe what he was sensing. Sure, he had always known that his son had an enormous potential, but this was really blatant!

He could not help but feel pride for his son who had finally managed to unleash his full potential. He only pitied Vegeta, though, for his son was ascending into the second level of Super Saiyan and would surely beat the crap out of the Saiyan Prince now...

The others nodded while Gohan still continued his most impressive power-up.

"Man, just how high can Gohan go?" Krillin asked, awed.

Vegeta was asking himself the same question. That was indeed a disadvantageous turn of events, as far as he was concerned...

Standing in mid-air Gohan still continued his power-up as he tapped into power-reserves he had never accessed before. His mentor had once told him that he had an enormous hidden potential inside of him, but until now he had not been able to access it. Until now...

Slowly lightning bolts began adding to Gohan's aura, and all his muscles bulged even more. His power did not stop growing, more the opposite...

Powerful electric discharges coursed now through the once tranquil golden flame of his aura, which had now seemingly become alive and made him look much more threateningly.

Finally Gohan had finished his power-up, and he was more impressive than ever. The only son of Son Goku had grown some inches and was now much more buff built, and the power radiating from him was more than just impressive. His aura gave off a high-pitched, but powerful sound, and his hair was standing on his head like a crest of knives.

His power was overwhelming, and it was clear that he was now the stronger of the two combatants. He flexed his muscles, and smiled at the power at his command. Never ever had he felt this powerful! If only he could get his hands on this darned tinkertoys from hell, then his day would be perfect...

_"This is truly overwhelming!!! He seems to be as strong as Son Goku himself when he fought Pikkon!!! Incredible!!!"_ the alien-announcer-guy exclaimed, and Videl cheered loudest of all.

Vegeta had hung the whole time in mid-air, open-mouthed. He simply could not believe that Gohan, Kakkarots' brat, had somehow become so much stronger! However, he would not give up that easily, he would fight and win!

With a roar Vegeta launched himself at Gohan who was hovering some feet above, but Gohan grinned and raced up and hit Vegeta hard across the head, surprising the Saiyan Prince with his speed.

Vegeta was thrown backwards, but Gohan blurred out and suddenly hit Vegeta from behind again, and then from above with an unbelievable hard double-fisted blow, and Vegeta made a visit to the ground where he impacted with force.

_"And he has send Prince Vegeta crashed down with this fantastic punch!!! Awesome!!!"_ the announcer yelled, while Videl cheered Gohan on with loud 'Go Gohan! Go!' chants.

Down on the platform the Saiyan Prince grunted, jumped from the impact crater and raced forward. He tried to punch Gohan, but Gohan punched the fist flying at him away with ease. The other two fists met and they gripped hands and pushed against each other.

In a flash they disappeared, only the sounds of the battle above could be heard and the air rippled from the force of each blow that either connected or was blocked. In the end both fighters hit the ground away from each other, as soon as their feet touched the ground they raced toward each other again.

But due to the power-advantage Gohan had Vegeta was slower than him and his guard fell, slowly but steadily.

After an intense exchange of blows in which Vegeta gave his everything his face met Gohan's left fist as he was too slow to block it, and he was sent flying upwards by this upper-cut. Gohan cut back instantly, fazed out of sight and bashed him into the ground again upon reappearance.

Vegeta rocketed to the ground and came to his feet only troublesome. He gritted his teeth and summoned all of his power. So, Gohan was stronger and faster than him. Regardless. He would fight till the end!

_"And Prince Vegeta has been send to the ground again!! But he is still determined to fight back!! What a warrior's spirit!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and the crowd cheered Vegeta on, intent to see more of this really great fight.

With a battle-cry Vegeta launched at Gohan who was still hovering above, awaiting Vegeta's next move. But said Vegeta's fists only met thin air. And suddenly Vegeta felt a massive power above him and the next thing he knew was a sharp pain in the jaw and the sensation of falling down...

Once again Vegeta impacted hard below, but this time Gohan followed suit and fell upon Vegeta in a shower of blows.

_"Now Son Gohan seems to be determined to end the fight!!!__ And the odds are clearly in his favour!!! He's on the ball, but will he able to use his advantage???"_ the alien-announcer guy exclaimed.

The outgunned Vegeta could barely put up any defence, and a hard blow slammed against the side of his head that nearly knocked him out. Gohan cut back super fast, and again slammed him over the head.

That last blow had dazed the Saiyan Prince enough to make any resistance impossible, and he could do nothing to stop the blow to his face that put his lights out.

Vegeta grunted and fell flat on his back, unconscious and breathing slowly. His golden hair changed slowly back to pitch-black as he slipped out of Super Saiyan.

Panting heavily despite his newfound powers Gohan stood above Vegeta, on the one hand sad that he had had to put his Vegeta's lights out, but on the other hand glad that he had won the fight.

The alien-announcer guy came up on the platform. He checked Vegeta and found out that the Saiyan Prince was unconscious. He counted up to ten, and unsurprisingly Vegeta did not get up again.

_"Ladies, Gentlemen and everything else, we have a winner!!! Son Gohan takes this fight and advances to the finale, where he will face the victor of the next battle!! Let's hear it for Gohan and Vegeta!!!" _the alien-announcer guy exclaimed, and a certain Videl Satan was cheering madly. This was getting better and better! She loved this tournament, and she would love to come to know Son Gohan...

And like at the fights before the crowd gave a standing ovation, and they threw confetti and all the other related stuff. Seconds later Vegeta came around again and sat up, signalling to the medics that he could do well on his own.

However he was holding his head.

"You pack one heck of a wallop, brat. Good fight, but next time I will beat you." he stated matter-of-factly, and Gohan smiled.

"Sure, Vegeta. Whatever you say."

Vegeta smirked.

"I will ascend to these heights of power. And once I have, I will challenge you again." he said with a dreamy, but determined look on his face.

Gohan scratched the back of his head in the usual patented Son way.

"Umm, okay. Any time, Vegeta."

Vegeta nodded.

"I meant what I said: not bad, brat. Not half bad at all."

Thus both fighters left the ring and joined the others, who were already waiting for them. While walking towards them he looked up into the stands and found the gaze of that raven-haired young woman. He gave her a smile, and received one in return, added by a wink.

** Once this tournament is over I will talk to her. She is hot! ** Gohan thought.

Meanwhile his father had reached him, and Goku smiled at his youngest son and patted him on the back.

"That was an awesome fight you have shown there, son. I am very proud of you!" he said, and Gohan could not have been happier.

Well, maybe if he could go down to Earth and beat the circuits out of the hell-spawned tinkertoys and / or get a date with this young woman, but one can't have everything...

**to**** be continued...**

== Gohan is the winner of this intense fight! He has managed to unleash powers he never thought possible and beat Vegeta! The next one to fight is Goku, and his opponent will be Alamba! And Goku is in for one hell of a surprise... So stay tuned! ==

Thanks for reading! And be sure to review! I'm quite sure that I will have the next chapter out at next Monday. Till then!

**And as always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx! **

**  
  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**Anthony1: Yup, I decided to start big. Although one of them was not at his max, as you saw. Hope it was the great match you expected... **

**  
  
SKC-ANIME-LOVER: Thanks! Cool that you like the fighting scenes, I'm trying to make them as good as I can! **

**  
  
gaul1: Haven't though about letting hell watch the tournament, but that's a good idea. Maybe in the next tournament. And I think Gohan impressed a potential mate a lot, heh... **

**  
  
Brandon B: Cool that you liked it, and it was not this short, was it? Okay, the last two fights will be a lot longer, promise!**

**And you're right, if everyone was of the same opinion it would be really boring! **

**  
  
rjectkd89: Because I am mean and evil? No, honestly, had no time to write more. And I hope I made the prince proud :) **

**  
  
animeprincess1452: I know... but I shortened the wait, didn't I? I'm glad that you like the story, and I try to make it as actionpacked as possible. **

**  
  
SupersayainkingTommy: Okay, sounds interesting! Hercule torture is always good... :)**

**Hope you liked the real fight, and you're right, too bad Goten never came to be in this dimension... **

**  
  
Roadkill51: Thanks! You meant to ascend to SSJ2? Until now only Gohan and his dad.**

**  
****KyLewin****: Yeah, that was merely a warm-up in the last chapter. Hope it got hot enough... **

**  
****DBZ Chick1: Yup, Vegeta got his ass kicked... thanks that you think that my chapters are great! I'm honoured!**

**  
****Rose Vaughn: Yup! grins I am evil... especially when I am on a sugar rush…******

**  
****Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: Yeah, it's hard to decide between those two. But in the end Gohan had the edge... and I'm glad that the Randomness is with me!**** [btw and off-topic: I used to play a role-game in which we relied on our god called Random, maybe that is a good omen... :)]**

**  
****Marshmellow13Dragon: Yup, but it will be the only two-part fight of this tournament. Promise!  **


	16. Goku versus Alamba!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything regarding DB, DBZ and GT. I do own however the concept of the Rantu Ato, the Argani and the Asaru-jin**. **Any similarities with living persons or other issues are pure coincidence!**

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**Chapter Sixteen: Goku versus Alamba!**

**Last time...**

Vegeta nodded.

"Yeah, you can say so. Not bad, brat. Not half bad at all."

Thus both fighters left the ring and joined the others, who were already waiting for them.

Goku smiled at his youngest son and patted him on the back.

"That was an awesome fight you have shown there, son. I am very proud of you!" he said, and Gohan could not have been happier.

**Now the continuation...**

After Goku had praised the fight of his son it was now his turn to fight the last fight of Round 2, and the Saiyan surveyed his opponent for the first time. Alamba was about as tall as him, quite muscular built and seemed to be battleworn.

His skin was of a light blue colour and his hair completely white while his eyes were yellow. Goku noticed that Alamba was surveying him too, and for a moment the two warrior's gazes met.

Suddenly Goku felt something in his opponents KI he could not classify, as if this Alamba was hiding something. But what could it be?

While Goku was hanging to his own thoughts as the platform was being restored by Uranai Baba's magic Piccolo approached him.  
"Goku," he began, "don't take this one lightly. I sensed something from him, and I'm not sure what that could mean. Be alert!" the Namek advised him, and

Goku nodded.  
"I sensed it too. But I think I will find out soon enough what this guy is hiding..." he said in his usual carefree attitude.

Meanwhile the platform had been restored, and the fight could now begin. The alien-announcer-guy stepped into the ring, finally able to announce the last fight of Round 2.

_"Ladies, Gentlemen and all in between, now we come to a fight between a newcomer and a tournament's veteran! In this corner, I am proud to present... Alamba, the Argani!!! He died in a battle to defend his homeworld Arganos in the East quadrant against an invading army and is participating for the first time!!! After he beat his opponents with ease in the prior fights we can be anxious to see how he will fare in this fight!! Lets hear it for Alamba!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and the crowd cheered for the blue-skinned fighter as he made his way into the ring.

_"And now to his opponent... you all know him, he is the winner of the last two tournaments... let's hear it for Son Goku!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy exclaimed, and the crowd burst into a roaring frenzy.

Goku made his way into the ring from the opposite site, waving and smiling at the crowd. When he had entered and stood opposite Alamba, the announcer stepped forward, waiting for the Grand Kai to give the signal.

Meanwhile Goku and Alamba fell into stances, while the latter dropped his KI-shields that had masked his real power. Goku and the others were surprised at the amount of power washing over them, and suddenly the Saiyan smiled. That could prove to be a good fight, a challenge!

"Man is that guy powerful! He is at least as strong as Goku, if not stronger!" Yamcha exclaimed, and Gohan and Piccolo both wore worried expressions. This guy was really strong...

"Although I am a rookie you should not take me too lightly, Goku." Alamba said, smiling.

Goku nodded, and finally the Grand Kai gave the signal.

_"You know the rules!!! Fight!!!"_ the announcer said and stepped out of the ring.

Then the fight was joined, and Alamba attacked with a powerful and very fast kick. Goku grabbed it effortlessly, and turned it into throwing Alamba into the air, intent to fire some KI-blasts at him.

But Alamba twisted through the air, regained his balance in the blink of an eye as he turned the throw into a backflip, landing on his feet and doing to Goku what he had planned for him.

The barrage of KI-blasts hit the Saiyan head on.

_"What is this?? Son Goku has been really hit for the first time!! Incredible!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and the complete audience was utterly shocked that Alamba had managed this. Then they burst into applause, for this fight could last longer than thought...

But Goku recovered quickly and kicked Alamba, who was descending upon him, square in the face which sent him flying backwards.

Goku then flew up at Alamba at rapid speed, anticipating the next punch and avoiding it by suddenly flying sideward. Then he fired a powerful KI-blast at Alamba which impacted and exploded.

This did not harm his opponent in the slightest as the blast had exploded upon a powerful KI-shield, and Alamba then moved off to the right and down, so he had a clear view. Then he flew up rapidly in a zig-zag-course to avoid the KI-blasts coming from Goku and elbowed the Saiyan in the stomach, followed by a super-fast punch with his right hand, making sure not to give Goku the opportunity to counter it.

Then he punched him powerfully to the ground. As Goku impacted into the ground Alamba started firing KI-blasts at him.

_"And Son Goku is down for the first time!!! Alamba is giving him a run for his money now!!!"_ the announcer yelled into his mike, and the crowd roared with applause.

But Goku got out of the crater in the blink of an eye and avoided the blasts by phasing out left and right, or he simply dodged or deflected them.

Goku agreed with Alamba. The power his opponent possessed was surprising, and he had no chance to beat him in his normal form.

** Time to take it up a notch... **

Goku stood still on the platform and then bent his arms to the sides while balling his fists next to him. Then he began to roar and the white and blue blazing aura that preceded the transformation into a Super Saiyan occurred.

The stone tiles around Goku vibrated, and a fierce wind blasted away from him and upwards into a powerful updraft. His power went flying, and seconds later the changes took place as his hair stood up, and then with a brilliant flash, the hair turned a deep golden colour and his eyes changed to emerald green, and the flame of his KI turned to the same golden colour.

Alamba had stopped once Goku had begun to power up and floated in the air. With a scream Goku erupted in power and was now a fully transformed Super Saiyan Level One. A smirk filled with battle lust entered his face...

_"And Son Goku has once more ascended and become a Super Saiyan!!! How will the surprisingly strong Alamba fare against Goku now???"_ the announcer yelled, while the spectators held their breaths.

** Damn it! I thought he had used up too much energy to transform in his prior matches. Well, there goes ****East Kais**** theory that his energy depletes more and more after each fight... **Alamba thought while he powered up too to augment his powers with that of Goku.

"Incredible!" Vegeta exclaimed, "That brat has augmented his powers with that of Kakkarot in Super Saiyan Level! Just how strong is he?"

Piccolo nodded.  
"Yeah, although Goku is only a basic Super Saiyan that is an impressive feat. Goku would do good not to underestimate this opponent."

On the platform Goku suddenly cupped his hands and screamed  
"KA... ME... HA... ME... HA!!!" and fired the powerful trademark energy wave up at Alamba. His opponent only had time to protect himself by raising a KI-shield and was forced to take the wave head on.

The wave exploded and he felt himself get pushed back by the shockwave.   
** Good that ****East Kai**** has found a way to unlock my powers.**** Otherwise I would be burned crispies by now... ** he thought****

_"Alamba has taken that powerful energy wave head on and without the slightest scratch!!! __East Kai__,__ is there something you want to tell us???" _the announcer asked, and East Kai blushed while all attendees (except Goku and Alamba) looked at her. She allowed herself a satisfied smile. Never would she have thought that Alamba would be this strong...

Goku followed his last action suit and raised his hands, then flattened them and yelled  
"Destructo disc!!!"

Subsequently two flat yellow discs, his best pal Krillin's signature move, which he had once taught Goku, formed above them. Then he threw them at Alamba.

The two discs tumbled around their own axis, a little addition by Goku he had picked up from Krillin during training. This way it was much more difficult to stop the discs.

Goku knew they could not kill Alamba as he already was dead but maybe the discs would weaken his surprisingly strong opponent...

_"Whoa!! Now Alamba has to watch out!!!"_ the announcer yelled while the audience held its breath.

"Very clever of Kakkarot." Vegeta commented, watching the fight with hawk-eyes.

Alamba on the other hand had regained his balance and saw the two discs coming at him. He realized what they were and what they would do to him, thus he dodged them and avoided them only narrowly.

The discs missed and flew behind him, but immediately turned around right back towards him. Alamba who was clever enough to turn around and follow the course of the discs, saw that he had only one course of action left.

He fired a strong KI-blast at the discs and the three energy attacks exploded as one as they impacted with each other, sending Alamba floating back because of the explosions force, his KI-shield flaring.

Goku flew up as fast as Super Saiyan Level One allowed him to meet the still floating Alamba, intending to punch Alamba in the chest hard. But Alamba had his guard up and blocked the punch, then rapidly kicked Goku in the stomach in turn while he was still in the air, which would have send the Saiyan flying back, if Alamba didn't grab his still outstretched fist and used it to throw him over his head and send him crashing into the ground.

_"Have you seen this??? In an incredible display of skill Alamba sent the great Son Goku once more to the ground!!! This is truly awesome!!!"_ the announcer yelled, while the crowd cheered loudly. Never ever would they have expected a fight like this, but the rookies this year were really something else...

The Saiyan impacted into the ground once more, but milliseconds later Goku emerged with an even more determined expression and launched at Alamba again. Goku and Alamba then started trading punches and kicks at rapid speed.

To Goku's surprise the East quadrant fighter matched him punch for punch, kick for kick. Each blow he dealt was blocked and countered in return. And to his utter surprise Goku came to the conclusion that Alamba was as good as he was at this level, although it was merely a fraction of the power Goku had to his disposal. The same seemed to apply for Alamba, however...

Goku grinned satisfied, this match was a pleasant surprise. _This_ was a match that really was a battle, not only beating up some opponent that was cannon fodder to him.

Distracted by these thoughts Alamba managed to connect a blow, and his right knee hit Goku in the ribs, and he grunted from the pain. Good that his body was so robust...

His own knee did the same to Alamba in revenge, and they both hit each others in the head at the same time with their subsequent punches, sending each other reeling backwards. Goku recovered as first and gained the advantage by kicking out both his feet, sending Alamba flying backwards.

Subsequently Goku moved faster than everybody save Vegeta and Gohan could see, and encircled Alamba, but his opponent regained his balance much quicker than Goku had anticipated and he shot a brutal punch to the Saiyans guts, followed by five rapid punches to the face with which he drove Goku back.

Then with a powerful kick exerted by Alamba Goku flew back, a moment later an energy attack exploded in his chest, in fact harmlessly on a KI-shield, but the force of the explosion send him floating backwards.

Goku raised his KI and stopped his momentum, then lowered himself down to the floor. Enough playing around, he had tested Alambas' abilities enough, now. Now he would fight him for real, even if he had to ascend to the second level to beat him. But he would rather save this option, if possible...

"I must say, your skill is surprising," Goku said, an appreciating smile forming on his lips. "You really are a pleasant surprise. A challenge!"

Alamba gave a grunt, then nodded and smiled in turn.  
"I gained that skill by training my whole life. But the power is a different story. Had it not been for East Kai who found a way to unleash my full potential, I would have been beaten by you within the first few seconds despite my skills. You're incredibly strong!"

Goku nodded.  
"You too. Although I know that you're not at your maximum." he said.

Alamba gave a surprised look, and then smiled.  
"So you noticed. Well, time to end this masquerade then. Now you will see what no one has seen in 5000 years." Alamba said, raising his KI.

Because of Goku's curious look he continued to explain  
"I am a member of the Argani race, and in our race's myths a legend existed that once a power would emerge that would be strong enough to defend our planet and do way of all evil that would ever threaten our race. Unfortunately our planet was attacked by an alien warrior race named the Asaru-jin. Those were fearsome and merciless fighters and much stronger than we, and our race fought a valiant, but loosing battle. I fought an especially strong Asaru-jin, and during this battle I noticed that I had suddenly access to a new power. But before I could unleash it the Asaru-jin seized his chance and killed me with his Kumm'Tar sword. Thus I ended up here, was allowed to keep my body and trained. I became stronger, sure, but I failed to access my full potential. This was until East Kai managed to unleash it when she showed me what the Asaru-jin had done to my people and my world."

Goku looked surprised.  
"Then _you_ are the power I felt during training?"

Alamba nodded his head.  
"Yeah, must be. I was killed some months ago, and when I saw how the Asaru-jin slaughtered defenceless people who begged for mercy, something in me snapped. And I became the Rantu Ato, the legendary Super Argani. But sadly to late to help my people..." he added in a sad tone.

Goku nodded. This sounded familiar...  
"Okay, Alamba. But one advice: if you want to beat me you better go to your absolute max and fight me at your best, cause nothing short of that will get you anywhere. And now we should not keep the spectators waiting."

Alamba grinned now, raised his power-level without transforming, then fell into a stance and attacked. Again he was nothing but a blur to anyone but Goku, Vegeta and Gohan, and he punched Goku square in the jaw, hard enough to compress the air from the impact.

Goku stayed still where he was, only his head had been turned slightly by the impact, but nothing else showed that an impact even had occurred. Alamba looked at him stunned; he could not believe that this blow had not even affected him at all. Unbelievable!

_"Wow!!! This time Son Goku has taken this awesome blow without even the slightest scratch!! Are the odds about to turn now??"_ the announcer exclaimed while Goku readied himself for the counter-attack.

"Now it's my turn..." Goku said, and with one punch that was nearly to fast to see he sent Alamba flying and skidding along the ground, for dozens of yards and nearly out of the ring.

But Alamba suddenly sprung from the ground and then fired hundreds of massive rapid KI-blasts at Goku that created a large cloud around the Super Saiyan, making it impossible to see a thing.

The Argani looked at the cloud he had created with his KI-blasts with satisfaction and expected to see nothing come out from that. He had practised his KI-blasts ever since he had gained access to his powers, and they were strong enough to knock out all of the other East quadrant fighters...

** That should have rendered him unconscious, those were strong enough to knock a Rak'tar out... ** he thought.

_"That has been some attack!!! I am not sure how Son Goku has taken this one, as I can not see a thing... wait! There!!!"_ he yelled.

Alamba's eyes suddenly widened in shock. It couldn't be!! That just wasn't possible!! But there it was, proof of what he had sensed: a golden glow from within the cloud and a high-pitched, but powerful sound!

At first nothing but this, but then, it got the silhouette of a man, and then Goku came walking out of the dust cloud like a man prowling a promenade, engulfed in his golden aura, looking a lot bulkier and much more powerful than before. He had powered up and hadn't even bothered to deflect the blasts!!

Goku took a few more steps to emerge completely from the cloud.  
"Don't tell me that was all you've got?" he asked in a disappointed tone of someone who had been promised to see the fight of the century, but in turn only got to see amateurs fight.

He aimed his palm at Alamba, and an energy ball formed; and then Goku let go of it. When it impacted on the still utterly surprised Alamba, it exploded with extreme force and a giant boom, this time hurting Alamba and sending him flying backwards.

Subsequently Goku moved faster than the untrained eye could follow and before Alamba could regain his balance he kicked him hard up into the air. Then Goku appeared above him, and with a powerful doublefisted punch sent him back down towards the ground. Goku reappeared in Alamba's flight path above him and exerted a double-fisted axe-blow to the back of Alamba that sent him crashing hard into the stone floor underneath.

_"Ouch!!! That one had to hurt!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, while the crowd cheered the fighters on.

"Now I win." Goku stated, preparing the energy attack that would render Alamba unconscious. But suddenly he felt Alamba's power rise rapidly.

"I don't think so..." Alamba said confidently as he stood up from the crater, his power rising.

Goku looked at his opponent, as he got to his feet. Green blood issued from a whole bunch of wounds that had been caused by Goku's KI-blast, but his power rose rapidly nevertheless. The yellow of his eyes suddenly changed to green completely, and then a dark-green and enormous aura formed around him.

Suddenly his muscles all over the body bulged and he grew a few inches, becoming taller and broader in the process. His light-blue skin suddenly turned a dark-blue colour, and his power was impressive. The Argani finished his power-up with a huge yell and released his full power, making the stadium tremble.

_"What is this, dear members of the audience? It seems like Alamba has somehow... transformed!!! But into what???"_ the announcer questioned perplexed, while the audience was officially stunned by the turn of events.

Most of the Z-Fighters were also quite bug-eyed, as they sensed the amount of power coming from the transformed Alamba. Nothing short of the power Goku had displayed during his fight against Pikkon would be able to beat this guy...

"Heh heh..." East Kai celebrated, "now he is gonna kick Goku's ass out of the ring!!! Go Alamba!! Go!!!" she yelled while all other Kai's looked at her.

"There she goes again..." West Kai said, "now she has once, _once_ a competent fighter in over 10000 years, and poof, she thinks she is the greatest. Typical!"

King Kai did not even listen to the argument that ensued; his face had contorted in concern, and he only hoped that Goku could tap into those powers he had demonstrated beforehand at will. Otherwise it looked really bleak, for Alamba was now stronger than Goku...

**to**** be continued... **

I have to stop it here, for I have to think of a good ending to the fight. I guess I can come up with it by Thursday... 

**As always a very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job! Thx!**

**Thanks for reading! And be sure to review!**

**REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**Kayapride****: Thanks, I'm glad that you like the fights. Hope you liked this one, too.           **

**Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: I can perfectly understand this. I had a hard time letting Gohan beat Vegeta too, but hey, Gohan has improved :)  
Vegeta will train a lot harder, thus it's all for the better. And yeah, our motto was 'May the Random be with us'; and that's really random...                **

**Marshmellow13Dragon: Yeah, the nickname 'tin cans' grew boring fast. Alamba proves to be a hard nut to crack, but we will soon see if Gohan and Goku will face each other in the finale. Glad that you liked Gohan ascending, and I hope you like Goku's fight, too...        **

**gaul1: Thank you! Alamba has a lot up his sleeves. And thanks for the idea with the Kaioshin, I will use it...            **

**SupersayiankingTommy****: Yeah, it looks good for Gohan. But his opponent in the finale will be a hard nut to crack, whether it is Goku or Alamba...  
And I am quite sure that Gohan will win Videl's heart once they come to know each other, but first things first...**

**Anthony1: Yup, Gohan had an easy walk once he had ascended and has reached the finale. And yes, Gohan and Videl might want to become more than just friends once they gotta know each other...        **

**Brandon B: Thanks! Glad that you liked it! **

**DBZ Chick1: Well thank you! But it's easy to improve getting so much feedback and thus motivation. You reviewers are awesome, you keep me going!    **

**Jill: Read more carefully, Gohan has ascended to Level 2, and Vegeta had no chance in hell to beat him. And compare that to the 'normal' timeline, in which Gohan was stronger than Vegeta, too. So it is all but unrealistic.        **

**Cappucine****: Thanks, I am glad that you like it! And that's a huge compliment comparing my story to the manga / show! Thank you! Hope you liked this chapter as much...  
As for reviewing your story, you're welcome. It _is_ good, and ppl can count on me to review stories I like from the first to the last chapter. **

**dabaka****: No prob, I know what being busy means :)  
Heh, cool that I'm still able to surprise ppl does victory dance As for Gohan ascending, it was not only that he was pummelled by Vegeta, all the pain of failure was pressing on on him. And that's why he was able to ascend, like the Gohan of the other timeline did to become a SSJ.  
The stages Gohan and Vegeta fought in during Chapter 14 was the one Vegeta used to beat Cell in his second stage (Episode 140, I think, 'Bow to the Prince'), and as far as I know this was not USSJ. It was an ascension of SSJ, but much faster and stronger. Sure, when Trunks used USSJ in Eps. 149, he stood no chance in hell against Cell.  
And thanks for the compliment, but I'm not famous, just your average DBZ-story-writer. But I am honoured that you think I am good. Thanks!  
As for Alamba, that was what I had in mind, and I think Alamba will deliver a good fight...**

**Candy the Duck: No problem, we all forget things, it's perfectly human. Cool that you liked the fight, and I am honoured that you think it was a believable Gohan vs. Vegeta. Although one of my reviewers did not think so...         **

**== Will Goku be able to beat Alamba now that he has finally transformed into the Rantu Ato? Who will be the stronger fighter? Find out next time! So stay tuned! And please review! ==**

**  
******


	17. Super Argani versus Super Saiyan

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything regarding DB, DBZ and GT. I do own however the concept of the Rantu Ato**. **Any similarities with living persons or other issues are pure coincidence!**

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**Chapter Seventeen: Super Argani versus Super Saiyan!**

**Last time...**

"Heh heh..." East Kai celebrated, "now he is gonna kick Goku's ass out of the ring!!! Go Alamba!! Go!!!" she yelled while all other Kai's looked at her.

"There she goes again..." West Kai said, "now she has once, _once_ a competent fighter in over 10000 years, and poof, she thinks she is the greatest. Typical!"

King Kai did not even listen to the argument that ensued; his face had contorted in concern, and he only hoped that Goku could tap into those powers he had demonstrated beforehand at will. Otherwise it looked really bleak, for Alamba was now stronger than Goku...

**Now the continuation...**

On the platform said Goku was not concerned at all as he grinned at his opponent while surveying Alamba in his transformed state as the Rantu Ato.   
"Interesting. So that's your power as the Rantu Ato. Impressive. But why didn't you transform before? Now you're wounded and can't put up your best." Goku said with a tone of someone disappointed that he would not get the good fight he hungered for.

"Those wounds don't hinder me in the slightest. I am more than strong enough to take you on even _with_ these wounds, for they will heal soon. I _can_ and _will_ put up my best." Alamba said confidently. "I underestimated you by thinking I could beat you without transforming, but now I am the Rantu Ato, the legendary Super Argani! And you will see me at my best!"

Goku grinned and said  
"I hope so. No holding back any more!"

Alamba smiled at Goku and continued.  
"No holding back any more." the Argani agreed, "From now on I will fight you with my full power..."

Goku mirrored the smile, self-confidence shining in his eyes.  
"So that's your max, hmm? Good, I suppose you're ready to start out for real now. So am I." he said and began raising his KI to augment his power-level with that of Alamba.

Alamba's eyes widened at hearing this. It couldn't be that the Saiyan hadn't reached _his_ max yet, could it?

That would shoot their theories that the power Goku had shown during his fight with Pikkon could not be accessed any time completely out of the window. If that was the case, he was in serious trouble despite his powers...

But if that was true, he had to attack Goku _before_ the Saiyan could reach his full potential...

Alamba nodded to himself, he would make it so. Raising his power-level above that of Goku he attacked, but Goku avoided his first blows, blocking one by one. Trying to avoid Alamba's next attack didn't work however, as Goku had underestimated the speed of his opponent so that the upper-cut had sent him flying.

_"And Alamba has been able to hit Son Goku due to his amazing speed!!! Quite outstanding!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed.

Goku touched his jaw as Alamba looked at him with a grin that said 'Didn't see that one coming, did ya?'

For years nothing had been able to hurt him, and this was a sign that he really should not take this opponent lightly...

** Damn! He is much stronger and faster than thought! Surely an advantage he gained from his transformation, not unlike Zarbon when he transformed, but on a much higher level... **Goku thought. ** I have to go to the second level to beat him, but I have to get me the time I need... ** he thought.

But as planned Alamba did not give him the time to power-up. Rather the opposite. The Argani raced forward, and before Goku knew what was going on, he was kicked hard in the head by a powerful drop-kick that sent him slamming into the ground. The platform beneath buckled from his impact and just another crater formed beneath him.

Alamba did not give him time to recover or even power-up, as the Argani rushed downwards and towards Goku, who had by now come to his feet again, and Alamba executed a roundhouse-kick-blast-kick-blast-punch-combo, and Goku was not able to block the last punch.

This one drove the air out of his lungs and he nearly doubled over, but in the last second Goku managed to execute a reverse-flip, really  just in time to avoid another roundhouse-kick to the head.

Alamba pressed his advantage instantly, shot forward and decked his opponent with a blurry of punches and kicks. Goku barely managed to block the first barrage of punches the Argani had thrown at him, but he was however able to return the favour with a roundhouse-kick-blast-punch combo.

But the Argani blocked everything thrown at him with ease, and according to his plan he increased the tempo even more and hit the Saiyans' defences with Planet-breaking blows which Goku was nearly unable to block.

Goku noticed fast that Alamba was too strong for him to beat in the level he was in, and he could not raise his KI as much as needed to be equal in power in the ascended first level without ascending into the second level.

So he had to buy him some time so that he could ascend into the second level. He went into the offence and launched himself at Alamba again and decked him with a blurry of punches and kicks, followed by a spinkick-blast-roundhouse-kick-combo.

Again Alamba blocked everything thrown at him with utmost ease, and then went into the offence again.

He leapt forward at Goku and sent a blurry of punches at the Saiyan which were driving him constantly back. One blow even managed to penetrate Goku's defences and planted the Saiyan a black eye.

The Argani cut back instantly and continued to deck the mismatched Goku with punches and kicks, and some actually managed to connect, showing effect. One roundhouse-kick of Alamba's had actually come trough the defence, and now blood was dripping from Goku's mouth.

_"Wow!! Now it really looks bleak for Son Goku, as Alamba is clearly the stronger fighter!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, while the crowd was cheering loudly at the good fight they were witnessing. No one had given Goku such a run for his money until yet...

Goku knew that he would lose sooner or later if Alamba kept attacking him like that, so he used his last resort: his Instant Transmission. Just before Alamba could land another blow the Saiyan put two fingers to his forehead and teleported high into the air. He had to buy him some time, and he had the perfect way...

Standing high in the air above the platform Goku suddenly fired dozens of massive homing KI-blasts at Alamba, using the same distraction-technique he had used against Pikkon. And like Pikkon Alamba was forced to outrun the KI-blasts because of their number, giving Goku the time to power-up to his fullest.

"Okay, it's for real now. No more playing around..." Goku suddenly said to himself while hanging in mid-air, and then tapped into his full power, the one East Kai had thought would not be accessible any time Goku wanted. She had been callously wrong...

Goku started the power-up to his maximum, and his golden aura flared back to life. He began to scream, and his hair soon stood more on end. Goku's scream continued and the whole asteroid shook from his awesome power, and for the first time East Kai and the other Kai's began to comprehend that this power of Goku's was something the Saiyan could tap into at will.

"Holy shit!" East Kai exclaimed, while King Kai started tap-dancing beside the ring and pulled his tongue at her, celebrating that his fosterling had more power at his disposal than any of the other Kai's (him included) had thought...

While King Kai was jumping for joy Goku's power-up continued in mid-air and his already impressive muscles bulged even more, and he finished his transformation with releasing his energy in an ultimate display of power and a mighty roar, making the whole asteroid shake in the process, while Alamba was busy deflecting our outrunning the KI-blasts...

**Meanwhile on the Planet of the Kais**

"These Saiyans are really something else, Kibito. This is the best fight yet!" Kaioshin exclaimed, sitting in front of a crystal ball. They had been watching the fights of the afterlife tournament ever since they had felt the enormous energy coming from the Saiyans who participated in the tournament. And those fights were very entertaining...

His bodyguard nodded. They had seen a lot of good fights until now, but one of the best had been the fight between the Saiyans Vegeta and Gohan, during which the young demi-Saiyan had ascended.  
"Yes, Kaioshin. Their power-levels are enormous. What do you think, is that their max? Or is there more?" Kibito asked.

Kaioshin thought for a moment.  
"I don't know, Kibito. But if I had to make a bet, I would say yes, there is more."

The bodyguard nodded, and then both men continued to watch the fight between Goku and Alamba, curious who would win...

**Back at the fight**

_"Now it is official!!!"_ the announcer yelled, _"Son Goku's power is completely off the charts!!! Will Alamba have a chance against this powerhouse???"_ the announcer yelled into his mike while the audience still yelled at this display of power coming from Goku, while Alamba outran the last KI-blast, thinking ** Oh crap... **

For right before their eyes floated Super Saiyan Level Two Goku, engulfed in a golden aura of astounding proportions, surrounded by a sea of KI-Bolts that seemed to snap everywhere.

Then he moved upwards towards Alamba's position, faster than anyone could see, and the move could only be followed by those who looked at the magical vid-screens.

Who had looked at those saw how Goku's fist smashed into Alamba's face. And to Alamba's great surprise the punch actually connected, somehow managing to actually force a way trough his strengthened KI-shield.

** Damn! That shoots our theory out of the window... ** Alamba managed to think, before Goku's fist made painful contact with his face.

Alamba was utterly surprised. No one should be able to do this! He was the Rantu Ato, damn it! They had tested his new abilities with all East quadrant fighters, and no one had been able to penetrate his KI-shield when it was at full strength. That was... impossible!

The Argani growled and his determination renewed, and he got in a hit as he managed to connect a punch with Goku's face. The Angari grinned, but this grin was wiped off his face quickly as he received a planet-breaking punch in _his_ face in return, followed up by a drop-kick that sent him flying backwards.

** Crap! He is stronger than ever! ** Alamba thought, while flying backwards.

The Argani attacked again once he had regained his balance, but Goku grabbed his incoming arm, throwing him over his shoulder in one fluid move followed by an upper-cut to quickly dealt to counter. And this time Goku didn't give him the opportunity to do anything, due to his now far superior speed.

Alamba flew high up into the air, and Goku simply blurred out of existence and reappeared in the flight path of a shocked Alamba. The Argani turned around in time and blocked the blow which shook his whole frame, and then they started trading punches and kicks. Alamba quickly put some distance between them and fired a few KI-attacks.

Goku avoided them with utmost ease, displayed speed Alamba could not match. He followed up with a set of his own KI-blasts, which Alamba in turn narrowly avoided. It was becoming clear that Goku now toyed around with Alamba, and the Argani got frustrated.

But suddenly Goku stopped moving, and hung there in the air motionless, not doing a thing, surprising Alamba. Once he looked puzzled at his opponent a smiling Goku gestured with his right index finger behind and above to show him something, and Alamba looked.

To his utter shock he saw the KI-blasts he thought he had dodged hover there. And now they all moved as one and crashed into him, exploding on impact. (Thanks for the idea, dabaka!)

_"Wow!!! That has been one brilliant strategic manoeuvre!! Outstanding!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and even Vegeta nodded in appreciation. That had _really_ been a brilliant strategy. But regarding a battle Kakkarot _was_ brilliant...

When the dust had finally cleared, Goku raced forward and rammed his fist into a dizzied Alamba's abdomen, doubling him over in the process. He followed with an asteroid-shattering upper-cut that sent the Argani further upwards into the sky. Alamba regained his composure fast enough and fired several KI-blasts towards the incoming Goku.

But the Saiyan flatted the blasts away with one hand and utmost ease and blurred out, but Alamba tapped deep into his powers and increased his speed, attacking where he knew the Saiyan was likely to reappear.

The first two punches Goku blocked, a third he dodged, and the following was avoided too, but the punch that came afterwards connected with the Saiyan's chest. But it had none effect whatsoever, as Alamba, despite all his strength had the feeling as if he had just hit a wall of solid T'Nar.

Goku in turn smashed his fist into Alamba's face hard enough to produce a giant sonic boom, and the force of the blow was such that it sent him hurling to the ground. Goku pressed his advantage and threw another punch, but Alamba, who had regained the control of his flight despite the pain caused by this asteroid-breaking punch, avoided it narrowly by flying around him.

Alamba then threw his own punch, which Goku shunned easily by blocking it with his left arm. Several more times they encircled each other rapidly, each throwing punches and kicks, but only Goku's hit.

Ducking underneath one punch coming from Alamba, Goku flew forward and turned, displaying a speed beyond anyone's capabilities. Even Vegeta had to look at the magical vid-screen, although he did it growling, while Gohan was still able to follow his fathers' moves...

On the platform, in mid-air, Goku suddenly cupped his hands next to his body and a blue ball of energy formed in it.   
"Kamehameha!!!" Goku yelled as fast as he could, and sent the powerful blue energy wave down towards Alamba, who only barely managed to steer clear of being caught by the enormous but fast energy wave.

The beam flew straight at the magical force field and hit head on. Goku let go of the energy wave, and everything went white for a fraction of a second as the magical barrier absorbed the tremendous energy.

_"That has been one energy attack by Son Goku!!! Incredible!!! And it seems even Son Goku's opponent is impressed!!!"_ the announcer yelled.

And really, Alamba looked at the awesome power he had just witnessed in shock. Now he began to feel doubt about the outcome of this battle, even though he had the powers of the Rantu Ato. His first few opponents had been easy victims, and he had not needed to display his real power at all, but this fight was something completely different. Maybe he should have trained more...

The Argani shook these thoughts off and attacked with a determined expression on his face. Kicks, punches, energy balls and beams, he threw everything he had at Goku using every little bit of energy he had at his disposal, hoping to overwhelm his opponent with his ferocity.

But soon Alamba was running awfully low on fuel, and his opponent not in the slightest. He had sensed the energy Goku had used for his Kamehameha-wave and knew that the Saiyan had not nearly used his full powers, and it would already have been enough to knock him out completely, Rantu Ato powers or not.

He had no chance in hell to tire him out in a contest of powers, but he would try to land as many hits as possible to weaken Goku. And this he did, tapping deep into his reserves.

His strategy seemed to work however, as a few kicks and energy balls got through his opponents defences every now and then. To Alamba's great disappointment none of those hits seemed to have any effect, whatsoever. It was frustrating!

Goku, he realized then, was allowing some hits to get through his defences every now and then, so it dawned on Alamba that he could not cause his opponent any harm with the power he had at his disposal.

Alamba's continued his barrage nevertheless, until Goku found an opening and landed a Planet-breaking blow right in Alamba's face, faster than he had been able to block.

The Rantu Ato was sent crashing into the ground by the incredible force of the blow, and a huge stone fountain erupted skywards; all those countless attacks of his that he had landed on the Saiyan and no result whatsoever, and here was Goku, who only needed one, but devastating blow to send him making the stonedive. Alamba panted as he came out of the crater, and felt for the first time that he had run deeply out of energy.

"If you keep doing that you won't be able to put up a fight much longer." Goku told him as the Argani got up. The Saiyan was floating in mid-air, full of self-confidence and energy.

Now Alamba began to realise his tactical mistake: he had been far too confident he'd win due to his powers as the Rantu Ato, thus he hadn't bothered with economizing with his energies at all, and had wasted too much energy in the process. This was not good...

However Alamba attacked again, as he would not give up. He had died fighting the enemy, and he refused to give up to anyone. As he was already dead the consequences were not as fatal, however...

But Goku avoided his every blow and upped the anti with ease, and connected a devastating punch with his guts that doubled him over in mid-air, followed by an even more devastating double-fisted blow to the back that sent him crashing into the ground with enough force to shake the whole arena.

Alamba got to his feet troublesome and left the crater, barely having enough energy left to remain standing. And he knew it. And he knew that Goku knew it.

Goku floated down.  
"It was a good fight, but I will end it now." the Saiyan said. Then he phased out and the next thing Alamba knew was a sharp pain in the jaw coming from a punch that sent him flying backwards. And with not enough energy left to control his flight Alamba was taken out of the ring where he impacted against one of the walls.

Alamba remained lying on the ground, groggily but still conscious. Meanwhile Goku was declared winner.  
"_Dear spectators, after this surprising and fantastic fight I am proud to declare the winner... Son Goku!!! He advances to the finals where he will meet his son!!! Wow, that's gonna be one hell of a fight!!!" _the little announcer exclaimed excited, and the crowd performed several La'Ola waves to honour the fighters. That had been one fight!

After that Goku walked over to Alamba who was still lying on the ground, gave him a hand and helped him to his feet.  
"Thanks for a great fight, Alamba. And you almost had me there..." he said smiling

The Argani smiled back.  
"You're welcome, but the next time I will beat you!" he said with humour.

Goku, never daring to miss a challenge, grinned.  
"Accepted!" he said, smiling in anticipation of the great fight this would be. But until then he would have to train. And most important, he would have to find a way to ascend faster into the second level, and if there was, reach the third level. Oh yeah, he would train. But right now he would enjoy the tournament to its fullest...

Then both fighters returned to their respective groups and received the more than earned compliments. Yeah, that had been an interesting fight, and as well Goku as Gohan could hardly await the final fight, father Son versus son Son...

**to**** be continued... **

Thanks for reading! And be sure to review!****

**Very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job, as always! Thank you very much! :)**

**A/N: This fight was greatly inspired by the fight of Gohan versus Cell during the Cell Games, when Gohan went SSJ2. It was fun to write it, and I hope you liked it!**

**== Note: Writing the final fight will take a while cause I am quite busy during the week [I will be buried in the library, so please cheer me up with reviews :)], so expect the next update for next Thursday! Please review! ==**

**REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**KyLewin****: Thanks for the compliment! I was tired of Goku having a free walk, and why should the Saiyans be the only ones who have a legend like that? And I think Alamba put up a good fight and gave Goku a challenge...  
I have not planned what I am gonna do with Alamba, but he has a lot of potential. The Asaru-jin however will play a role in one of my other stories, and Goku and the others will come to fight them there. **

**Candy the Duck: Yeah, I had a hard time my self to decide whether Goku or Alamba should win. But then I set on the match father versus Son. And yup, deja vú. But why should the Saiyans be the only ones with such a legend? :)             **

**gaul1: Thanks! Yup, Goku really would have been pounded if he hadn't used his teleport. But who knows, maybe I will write a chapter with an alternate ending...         **

**Tim Knispel: Wow, is this story really this suspenseful? Thanks for the compliment, and I will try my best to keep it up.    **

**CFLEXUS: Yup, that was something Vegeta would have done, heh...      **

**zara**** m: Glad that you like the fight scenes! And next time I won't tell you what will happen so you can get worked up :)        **

**Anthony1: Yeah, Alamba was really a hard nut to crack. He even forced Goku to use his last resort, and if Goku would not have been able to teleport he would surely have lost. Now it's Goku vs. Gohan in the finals...         **

**Brandon B: Thank you! Well, Goku did not lose, but maybe I will write an alternate ending to the fight...  **

**Roadkill4: Will do my best. And nope, no SSJ3 until now. Maybe in the next tournament...            **

**Cappucine****: Thanks, that's again a big compliment! Yeah, I had this idea for the Rantu Ato, cause the Saiyans can't be the only ones who have such a legend. Glad that you like it!      **

**animeprincess1452****: Yeah, Gohan has become a SSJ2. And next time we will have two SSJ2s versus each other...  
Yup, Goku had a lot of trouble beating Alamba, and if he wouldn't have been able to teleport he would have lost. Good thing for him that he can use IT...          **

**Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: Whoa, that's a huge praise, thanks! And I agree, the Saiyans can't be the only race in the universe who have a legend like this, and I am glad that you like it. Goku got quite beaten, but in the end Alamba was not strong enough. Who knows, maybe Gohan will prove strong enough to win against his dad...  
The randomness will guide me :)    **

**DBZ Chick1: Cool that you liked it! Alamba would have been able to beat Goku if he had managed to keep him from ascending. Hope it was a exciting match nevertheless...      **

**Marshmellow13Dragon: No, never... :)   
Glad that you liked it, and I think it's spelled 'Italian'. And that's a cool place to make a vacation, I envy you!           **

**== Goku finally managed to beat the surprisingly strong and skilled Alamba and advanced to the finals, where he will meet his son! Who will be the stronger Son? Stay tuned! And please review! ==**


	18. Final Round!

A/N: Well, here it is: the final fight of this tournament, to be decided between father and son! Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this tournament, you might want to watch out for updates of 'The greatest challenge yet', where my next tournament will take place. Thank you all for your interest in this story!

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**Chapter Eighteen: Final Round!**

**Last time...**

Then both fighters returned to their respective groups and received the more than earned compliments. Yeah, that had been an interesting fight, and as well Goku as Gohan could hardly await the final fight, father Son versus son Son...

**Now the continuation... **

Okay, Goku had damaged the platform quite a bit so that the final round would be a tad bit delayed, but it couldn't be helped. And besides, they had Uranai Baba to fix the damage in the blink of an eye...

The Saiyan went to his son, proud that he would face him in the final match. Never would he have thought that his son would be strong enough to make it to the final round at his first attempt. But the boy, no, the young man had not only surprised _him_...

As he looked into his son's eyes he could see the same determination his own eyes must have shown so often before, and it was an understatement to say that Goku was really proud.  
"So, son, ready for the battle?" he asked in his usual cheerful attitude.

Gohan turned towards him, a smile playing in the corners of his mouth.  
"Ready when you are, dad." he said, reciting their old saying.

Goku nodded, smiling. Now he finally knew that his son would do well up here. He had understood that he could not influence the happenings down on Earth any more, and had to 'live' his afterlife instead.

That is, until someone would find a possibility to wish them back. And they were now prepared for this, more than prepared in fact. Those darn hell-spawned tinkertoys were in for a nasty surprise...

**30 minutes later...**

_"Ladiieesss and Gentlemeeeennn!!!"_ the alien-announcer guy suddenly shouted. _"The damage resulting from the previous intense battle has been once again expertly repaired by our Uranai Baba!!! And we are now ready for the final fight!!!"_

The crowd once again burst into a roaring frenzy. They were throwing confetti and all other related articles while crying themselves hoarse. They were awed to be here, to have the honor of seeing these great fighters compete! This was the best tournament ever!

_"This fight will be decided between father and son!!! You all know him, you all love him… in this corner, two time winner of the afterlife tournament and these times finalist… I give you SON GOKU!!!"_ the announcer yelled, and the crowd seemed to explode in a cacophony of sounds.

"Well, not everyone loves Kakkarot, just to make my point clear." Vegeta said while Goku walked up into the ring, waving and smiling.

_"And in the other corner, I am proud to present you… the surprise of this Aferlife Tournament and now officially one of the strongest fighters in existence… I am proud to give you SON GOHAN!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and Gohan received the same amount of cheers as his father, although one special woman once again cheered louder than anyone else.

While walking into the ring Gohan gave her a confident smile and twinkled at her. Once he had stepped into the ring completely the alien-announcer guy once again stepped forward, like he done in the fights before. And naturally…  
_"Okay, Gentlemen, you know the rules!!! So let's get ready!!!"_

And once again the alien-announcer guy walked off the platform, and took his security measures as he stood behind the magic forcefield. He knew that this fight could get really hot…

Both fighters dropped into stances. They nodded at each other, absolute drive obvious in their faces. Then the Grand Kai gave the signal, and the battle was one more time on!

Goku and Gohan had decided to start slow and were still in their basic forms, and it was more like sparring to them as anything else.

But nevertheless father and son were exchanging blows at breakneck speed, too fast for the crowd to see.

The sonic waves produced by the blows were again strong enough so that they would have blown the spectators apart, and it was all for the better that the Grand Kai had taken security precautions…

Gohan was currently shooting a fast barrage of kicks and punches at Goku, and Goku countered those with the same ferocity. Yeah, this made really fun!

The combatants continued to exchange blows at an incredible rate, and Gohan could hardly believe that he was now fighting against his father, a father he had not seen in such a long time.

It was a good feeling and reminded Gohan a lot of all the trainings fights and sparrings they had absolved together, and Gohan was beginning to enjoy this fight, but decided to take it up a notch.

He nodded at Goku after one of his punch-kick-blast-combos had been blocked and burst into Super Saiyan with a loud scream, and the shockwave he produced was big enough so that the spectators cooed a loud 'Oohh!'.

Goku smiled too, and then he bent the arms to his sides and started to power-up himself. Gohan smiled in anticipation and waited for his father to finish his power-up.

At first Goku was engulfed in the normal white aura that was normal, and seconds later Goku's aura changed to gold and the warrior released his power with a huge scream.  
"Ready when you are, son!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Gohan nodded. Goku's power was dead even to his, and although the following minutes would be nothing more than a warm-up, they would give the spectators quite a show in these forms.

Once again the crowd cheered loudly and even the Grand Kai smirked, although he knew that this was merely a warm-up in the upcoming fight. Yeah, this would get interesting…

Back at the fight Goku and Gohan had begun with the spectacle for the audience. They were now moving much faster than before and the crowd watched the fight with rapt attention at the magical vid-screens, eager not to miss one blow being dealt.

Right now Goku was in the offensive and executed a fluid kick-punch-roundhouse-kick-combo that was blocked by Gohan with ease.

Gohan then started to carry out his own offensive, zanzokened out of sight and reappeared above and right from Goku, trying to hammer him down into the ground. But his father had his guard-up and blocked the blow with ease, then backflipped and used his momentum to kick his son's chin. Or so it was thought…

For the kick met only air as Gohan had fazed out of sight again. Goku fazed out too and avoided a kick being dealt at where he would have been a second before, reappeared and punched at Gohans chest.

Gohan blocked the punch with one hand, cupped the other and fired a Masenko at Goku at point-blank range. His father deflected the beam with one hand and smiled.  
"This is fun!" he said.

Gohan nodded in agreement.  
"But I think we should take it up a notch. I know that you can go higher, dad. I've seen it. So let's do it!"

His father nodded and subsequently both fighters started to power up even further.

"Yeah! Now it's getting really exciting!" Krillin exclaimed, sensing the increase in power coming from both fighters. The others nodded. This would be a good fight!

Goku and Gohan had started their respective power-ups at the same time, and their golden auras flared back to life.

Father and son began to scream, and as those screams continued the whole arena began to rattle, and once again the spectators got proof how strong those two really were. The width of their auras expanded further and further, and the whole arena was engulfed in blinding light.

Once again everywhere spectators where shielding their eyes, and they could feel the growing power emitted by Goku and his son, and their power-levels were growing fast...

The spectators could then see every muscle bulge even more, and their powers caused the ground to shake like wild, while the crowd was bursting into a roaring frenzy at seeing and sensing so much power. Suddenly KI-Bolts were striking out from both fighters, and their power-levels took the hugest jump ever.

The transformation into a second level Super Saiyan was easy for Gohan, now that he could access his powers at will, and he had decided to take it up to his estimated maximum in this level right from the start.

His already impressive muscles bulged even more, and his hair gained a razor-sharp quality and stood sharp on end.

The same happened to his father, and as the awesome transformation continued the muscles in arms, legs and all over their bodies bulged. Finally the transformation was finished, and as well father as son released their awesome powers in a final display of power and a mighty roar.

There stood Goku, surrounded in a golden aura of astounding proportions. He was radiating even more power than anyone had ever seen or felt before. The KI-Bolts surrounding his body snapped everywhere. It was quite a sight, and VERY impressive.

He smirked, a smirk that was mirrored by his son, who was looking exactly like his father. Engulfed in a fiery golden aura of astounding proportions, a suped-up powerhouse, ready for battle.

The power emanating from them was such that it could even be felt by those who could not sense KI, and once more Videl Satan marveled just how in the world this young man and his father could be so strong. It was unreal!

She did not pay attention towards her father at all, who was still sitting on his seat while all the others had jumped to their feet, cheering those two incredible fighters on. Instead he was mumbling 'It's all a trick!', but Videl ignored him thoroughly. This fight was simply too good, she would put some sense into her dad later…

_"Whoah, fans, would you look at this!!! Those two have taken the fight up to the next level!!! After this fantastic display of power we can be astounded what will happen next!!! This fight is truly awesome!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, and the crowd could not have agreed more. Never had the Grand Kai heard so much cheering before, and he too was smirking in anticipation…

Father and son resumed their stances with expressions of utmost drive on their faces, and seconds later the battle continued to the 'Oohs' and 'Aahs' of the crowd. Wow, that was one hell of a fight!

Goku and Gohan had launched at each other at the same time and started to strike at each other vehemently. The magical video display showed everything in detail and the warriors were exchanging blows with enough force to create shockwaves in mid-air that were much stronger than before.

Even with the protective enchantments cast by Uranai Baba those blows could be felt even in the stands...

The only thing that could be seen on the platform was the disturbances caused by air being compressed trough their blows. Even Vegeta and Piccolo, two of the strongest Z-Fighters had to watch the fight together with the other at the magical vid-screens, for Gohan and Goku demonstrated a speed they were not able to keep up with.

Luckily magical vid-screens had been conjured at strategic places, and thus the crowd could watch this awesome battle untroubled and in full quality. Yeah, magic had its good sides...

At first father and son had done some probing and testing in their new forms, some punches here, some punches there, but now they had decided to go full out. And that they did!

Goku sent a flying fist to his son's face, which was instantly blocked with one hand and countered. The older Saiyan nearly didn't see the punch that was flying at _his_ face with jackhammer speed, but he managed to block it at the last second.

Goku then decided to up the anti and shot a blow for Gohan's gut, which was again blocked with ease. Seconds later they were trading blows at breakneck speed, all over the platform and fierce enough to compress the air and create sonicwaves strong enough to rattle Grand Kais throne.

The crowd cheered loudly as they watched them go, amazed at the fantastic powers those two had. Videl was openly cheering for Gohan, ignoring his fathers enraged shout.

Meanwhile Goku shot a swift kick to his son's head that found only thin air, and he moved his other leg just in time to block a kick aimed for his lower body, then stopped Gohan's left hand from smashing his nose.

The older Saiyan then executed a punch-claw-kick combo that was however ineffective before Gohan's air-tight defence.

But Goku surprised his son as he rushed forward and executed a punch-kick-roundhouse-kick-blast-punch-blast-punch-combo, and his son was not able to block the last punch.

Videl cooed a loud 'Oh no!' at seeing this, but was unheard amongst the cheers from the crowd.

Gohan however had heard it, and although the punch of his father drove the air out of his lungs and he had to touch down on the ground he managed to somersault however just in time to avoid another roundhouse-kick to the head. This young woman was giving him one heck of a motivation...

His maneuver had given Gohan some time to recover, and as he heard loud calls 'Go Gohan! Go Gohan!' coming from… guess who?... he was even more so determined to beat his father.

Suddenly Gohan zanzokened out of sight, and as did his father. They reappeared seconds later, and Gohan was decking Goku with a hailstorm of punches and driving him back.

They were now in the air again, and then Gohan suddenly shot a quick roundhouse-kick to his father's head, to fast for the older man to see, and this time the shot was a hit. Goku was send to the ground, but caught himself in time to prevent crashing into the ground.

Videl cheered loudly, although the man that had been hit was Gohan's father. But the heck with it! She was cheering for Gohan, not his father. Period!

Goku smiled at his son and launched himself at the younger man with ferocity. The blows they exchanged were so strong that they could be felt outside despite the enchantments, and the crowd was going wild with excitement!

The combatants continued to exchange blows at ridiculous speeds, and Goku could hardly believe how much stronger his son had become. He was very proud of Gohan, and he could see that his son was enjoying this battle to its fullest. This feeling was mutual…

Goku then charged straight at his son and performed a spinning roundhouse-kick, but Gohan was prepared and ducked. At superspeed he countered with an upper cut.

But his father disappeared, and punched at Gohan the moment he reappeared. This time Gohan phased out, but when he did so Goku performed a graceful back flip and brought his fist into his reappearing son's chest.

Gohan floated back from the hit, gnashed his teeth in determination and flew right at him with renewed strength. His father did the same with a expression of utmost drive on his face and met him halfway. They clashed and Gohan attacked first, but once again Goku was able to block all of his son's attacks.

They were trading blows, and on one occasion the older Saiyan got a punch in and hit Gohan in the cheek. But the younger man just smiled and repaid him by hitting his father back hard. This caused Goku to float back.   
"I can't believe how good you've become, son! This fight is awesome!"

Gohan smiled.  
"I am inclined to agree, dad. Let's continue. Those people shall get something for their money!" he said and launched himself at his father again, the warsong boiling in his blood.

But before Gohan could connect his punch Goku fazed out of sight, and when he suddenly reappeared he uppercuted his son fazed out and cracked him with a roundhouse kick on reappearance. The force was enough to send Gohan flying, but it did not hurt him.

Once Gohan had completely regained his balance, which he did fast enough to make sure his father did not get any advantage, he smiled.  
"Now it's my turn, dad." he said, fazed out and reappeared above, then punched his father's guts hard and hammered him into the ground with a doublefisted blow to the back.

_"And our current champion has been hit hard for the first time!!! And that was one blow!!!"_ the announcer exclaimed, while a certain raven-haired young woman was cheering loudly  
"YEAH!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!"

As the tournament ring itself had not been enchanted Goku created the first impact crater of this fight and chips of stone were flying everywhere.

Goku got up fast, but was impressed nevertheless.  
"Wheew, that was one blow..." he said and then shot a giant energy blast from his right hand straight at his son. Gohan only smiled and deflected the blast with one hand so that it crashed into the protective forcefield.

The crowd whistled loudly at seeing this, and it was needless to say that the other Z-Fighters were impressed too. Most had thought that Goku would be able to make short work of his son in the blink of an eye despite his grown powers due to his experience, but until now Gohan was proving them wrong...

_"Ladies and Gentlemen and everything else in between, have you seen with which ease this young man deflected this mighty blast??! This was amazing!!! Truly amazing!!!"_

The spectators and Z-Fighters seconded that notion. Gohan had indeed become incredibly strong...

"GO GET HIM!!!" Videl exclaimed.

The Saiyan Prince, who was standing beside the ring with the others chuckled amused.  
"The brat even has his own fan-club..."

On the platform Goku fazed out and reappeared before his son, and the two instantly exchanged a barrage of blows. Suddenly Gohan was kicked hard in the head by a roundhouse kick that sent him slamming into the ground. The platform beneath buckled from his impact and just another crater formed.

But Gohan got up again fast and raced up to meet his father in mid-air. Together they clashed launching blow for blow. The force of their blows sent shockwaves through the air, and the spectators stared in awe. The power coming from those two was completely off the charts. It was unreal!

_"Wow!!! Fans, can you believe the power those two have??! They are strong enough that their spectacular blows can be felt even outside the ring despite the protective enchantments!!! It's unreal!!!"_ the announcer yelled, and the crowd cheered loudly, while Videl was crying herself hoarse with her "GO GOHAN GO!!!" battle calls.

In mid-air after a massive exchange of blows Gohan suddenly rammed his forehead into his fathers nose, stunning him momentarily, and Gohan twisted in mid-air, using his momentum to connect his feet full force with Goku's chin. Falling back into position he then started gathering KI.

Seconds later he cupped his hands and released a Kamehame-ha wave of enormous intensity straight at Goku's face, which cost him in Super Saiyan Two a medium amount of effort.

The Kamehame-ha wave hit dead on, but as the smoke cleared it became obvious that Goku had 'survived' the blast unscathed, as he had brought his arms up in an X to block the blast. However his arms were singed and smocking...  
"Not bad son, you almost had me there!" he said, smiling his usual goofy smile.

Gohan nodded, smiling.  
"And soon I _will_ get you!" he exclaimed and launched at his father with even more determination.

In a flash they disappeared, only the sounds of the battle above could be heard and the air rippled from the force of each blow that either connected or was blocked.

In the end both father and son hit the ground away from each other, but as soon as their feet touched the ground they raced towards each other again.

Gohan's face meet Goku's left fist and Goku's face Gohan's right fist, and both fighters were sent flying backwards. Both recovered fast and took the fight into the air again were they racked each other with gunfire.

Goku took the offensive again and fell onto his son in a flurry of punches who were all countered and returned by Gohan.

The experienced Goku then aimed a kick for Gohan's forehead in a feint attack, and Gohan countered the blow unknowing that the real attack was to follow.

Faster than he could see he was punched hard in the face and flew back. And with a lightning quick kick Goku shot his son to the ground where he created another impact crater.

Suddenly an explosion of power took place in said impact crater as Gohan tapped deeper into his powers. He disappeared in a blur and phased in right in front of his father, obviously thriving in battle completely.

Gohan's right fist flew forward and met his father's left fist, and the sonic boom produced by this hit was strong enough to move the Grand Kais throne.

Seconds later Gohan's left fist came flying and met Goku's right. The force of the last blow sent the fighters apart, and Goku charged at Gohan fist first.

His son caught it with ease and waved the fist aside, dodged another roundhouse-kick aimed for his head and wobbled back to avoid an uppercut Goku had tried to connect with his chin.

Both fired KI-blasts at the same time and hit the other square in the chest, so that Goku as well as Gohan were sent flying backwards.

Gohan had recovered as first and he charged straight at his father and made to punch him. But Goku dived out of the way. His son followed with a fast kick that aimed for Goku's chest, but the older Saiyan was able to block it.

Gohan then did a reverse flip and thus avoided being hit by a kick of Goku. They continued to exchange blows for some minutes, but none of them was able to gain the upper hand.

Suddenly Gohan had an idea, as this fight could continue for ages, for they were about equal in strength.

** Dad, how about we make a Kamehame-ha shootout and decide this way who the stronger is? We are both about equal and this fight could go on forever! **

Goku nodded.

** Good idea, son.**** We make it so! **

Surprisingly for the spectators suddenly both fighters touched down onto the platform. That surprise however wore off fast as Gohan and Goku fell into stances, several yards away from each other...

Both fighters gathered KI and cupped their hands...  
"KA...ME...HA...ME... HAAAAAAA!!!" Goku and Gohan exclaimed at the same time, and two blue trademark-beams of the Kame school of fighting made their way towards each other.

The beams impacted against one another and soon began to form a bubble. Both fighters struggled to gain the upper hand, while Uranai Baba was floating towards the Grand Kai.  
"Grand Kai, we should evacuate the seats behind Gohan and Goku. I have made the enchantments as strong as possible, but I fear they might not be able to resist this much power!" she said.

Grand Kai thought for a moment and nodded then. This was indeed a lot of power...

He gave his orders to the alien-announcer-guy and the little guy arranged everything. Soon all seats behind both fighters at the West and East side had been evacuated and the spectators were now 'only' watching from two sides, as more rows of seats had been added to the North and South side of the stadium.

Now Goku and Gohan could go full out...

And soon, a Kamehameha tug of war has started. Both powers were about equal, and not much was happening.

When it seemed like Goku was going to win, Gohan pushed back.

When it seems like Gohan was going to win, Goku pushed back.

It seemed to be a never-ending power struggle, that what Gohan had wanted to prevent...

This was however until one special woman cheered Gohan on.  
"GO GOHAAAN! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!!!" Videl Satan cheered him on from the stands, and Gohan smiled. It seemed like she really liked him, and he would win for her. He knew he could do it...

** Concentrate, Son Gohan! You have all this new power, now tap into it to the fullest! ** Gohan thought and suddenly he knew what he had to do! He imagined Krillin being killed by the Androids, and felt a spike in his power-level.

Then he imagined Tien, Yamcha and Chaozu being killed by those blasted machines. Spike. Then he saw the mental image of his ersatz mother Bulma being killed by the Androids. SPIKE.

Now his mother was being killed by the Androids in his imagination, and it was so real as if it had actually happened. And he could not do anything! SPIKE!

Now he saw the mental image of this wonderful young woman, Videl Satan, being brutally murdered by Android 17 and 18. SPIKE!!! SPIKE!!! SPIKE!!!

And with a final HAAA!! Gohan pushed more energy into the Kamehameha-wave than he had ever thought possible. In an instant it pushed over his fathers' beam and overcame it within seconds.

The surprised Goku who had been sensing the power rise within his son could not do anything to counter the beam of his son.

The older Saiyan was catapulted out of the ring and impacted against a wall, while the Kamehameha wave crashed into the seats and obliterated them completely until it disappeared into the space above, guided by Gohan, where it exploded with an enormous BOOM, and everything went white for several seconds.

Grand Kai sweatdropped, now glad that he had taken Uranai Baba's advice. The Kamehameha-waves had indeed been too strong for the protective forcefield. Much too strong, in fact...

Outside the ring Goku got up and dusted his clothes off, while the alien-announcer-guy had to grab this. Then...

"_AND HE HAS LANDED OUTSIDE OF THE RING!!! GOKU IS OUT!!! THAT MAKES SON GOHAN THE WINNER!!! AND NOT ONLY OF THIS FIGHT, BUT OF THE WHOLE TOURNAMENT!!! THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND TIME THAT A ROOKIE FIGHTER HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH SUCH A FEAT!!! ONE CAN REALLY SAY: LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND EVERYTHING ELSE!!! LET'S HEAR IT FOR THOSE GREAT FIGHTERS!!!"_ he exclaimed, louder than ever.

The spectators, who had been all standing during this clash of powers, went into a roaring frenzy and threw confetti and all other related stuff. And once again the Grand Kai was proud of himself for a) hosting such a great tournament and b) giving out all the tournament related stuff like confetti, fan-articles and and and...

** Maybe I should consider entering merchandizing... ** he thought grinning, while Goku and Gohan were still being celebrated upon.

This had indeed been a good fight and an awesome tournament. One that they all could be proud off... 

**to**** be continued... **

==  Gohan, who has entered the tournament as a rookie fighter has won the tournament! And he has fought one hell of a tournament during which he gained more power than he ever thought possible! The tournament is finally over, but there is more to come!  ==

Thanks for reading! Please review!

Very special thanks to my beta, who is doing a great job, as always! Thx! ****

**REVIEWERS RESPONSES: **

**Roadkill4: Thanks! And nice quote, pretty cool!        **

**Deathlord98: Glad you liked it…as for not enough originality, I just figured that the Saiyans can't be the only ones to go Super, and other races might have a legend like that too.        After all, the Saiyans can't be the only ones...**

**Dirbatua****: Nope, for SSJ3 both have to train more. They will have to train much more than that, in fact. But in the other tournament mentioned at the bottom you can and will see SSJ3s...**

**Candy the Duck: That was the intended name pun, lol. Cool that you liked it! gives CtD dictionary **

**Goku's little sister: Thank you! Wow, you actually trained with King Kai? Cool! :)                        **

**Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: Thank you, thank you! Oh yeah, that pissed Vegeta more off than anything else. But I hope you didn't fall out of your chair this time. And to be honest, I personally think that Goku vs. Alamba was my best fight. But that's just me...  
gives Raid-Scion-of-Randomness some waffles     **

**Anthony1: Thanks. I hope it was not...**

**dabaka****: No prob. RL, I can tell...  
Cool that you liked it, I try to make the fights as actionpacked as I can.   
Yeah, the idea was cool, and as I did not name the attack I did not have any trouble to decide. :)  
And true that, the father-son-fight was the better option.  
As for the term: pouts I also use asteroid-shattering and others! Lol, but otherwise you're right.   
Regarding the Buu Saga: I have not given it a thought yet, as I will pause this story here and write another tournament in another story of mine. But I will cross this bridge when I come there...**

**animeprincess1452: ??? I gave you an idea for Rokon's origin? Cool!  
Glad that you liked the chapter!**

**Marshmellow13Dragon: Hey, that's cool! ****Italy**** is a cool place to live, and then you're in the same timezone as me! Fun!  
Yup, Alamba did well, and he was a challenge for Goku! Glad that you liked the fight!**

**Kayapride****: I aim to please... :)  
How I manage to write all those fights, you ask? I have a vivid imagination; I just extrapolate them in my mind. Is a funny way to spend time, most and for all when you're stuck in a train or a boring lecture...**

**Cappucine****: Thanks! I'm glad that you liked it!  
Yup, it takes more than that to win against Goku, but Gohan proved that it is possible...**

**DBZ Chick1: Cool that you liked it! I'm honoured that you think my story is something to look forward to! Thanks!            **

**== Note: If you liked this story and its fights, you might like to read 'The greatest challenge yet', for there will be the next tournament with (hopefully) equally interesting fights. Btw, this story is not finished yet, I will write more on it once I've got enough time and ideas. ==**


	19. Congratulations and reflections

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Akira Toriyama and Funimation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

This story focuses on Gohan, and begins after his death at the hands of the Androids. It is an AU, and reviews are welcome and appreciated.

.

.

**Welcome to the afterlife, son!**

**. **

**.**

**Chapter 19: Congratulations and reflections**

.

.

**Last time...**

The spectators, who had been all standing during this clash of powers, went into a roaring frenzy and threw confetti and all other related stuff. And once again the Grand Kai was proud of himself for a) hosting such a great tournament and b) giving out all the tournament related stuff like confetti, fan-articles and and and...

** Maybe I should consider entering merchandizing... ** he thought grinning, while Goku and Gohan were still being celebrated.

This had indeed been a good fight and an awesome tournament. One that they all could be proud off... ****

.

.

**Now the continuation... **

The whole audience still continued to celebrate while Gohan and Goku walked towards their waiting friends. Goku had put a hand on his sons' shoulder, and the two were talking about his father's previous experiences in the afterlife tournament.

"... and then, the next thing I knew was that Pikkon hit me with one hell of an attack and I felt like a herd of dinosaurs had had a stampede upon me!"

Gohan smiled. His father was fully in his element. But now, after this wondrous tournament, he, Gohan, had come to enjoy fighting once more again too.

Down on Earth he had fought countless time for his sheer survival, praying that he would be stronger next time, hopefully strong enough to take both of those Androids on at the same time.

Sadly fate had had other plans for him. But looking at the bright side, he had come to know a whole lot of new people, had met challenges, had become stronger and had found a girl... no, a young woman, he thought, who was very attractive and obviously quite strong in character...

"And what happened then, dad?" Gohan asked, glad that he was able to listen to the conversation he was having with his father while thinking things trough.

**'Heh, I love multitasking...'** Gohan thought, and a smile crept on his face.

Goku was smiling a happy smile too, but for completely different reasons. He was obviously thriving in memories of this great battle he had fought against Pikkon, and Gohan had to admit, it _was_ interesting.

"Well, he used this attack of his, which you have seen too in this tournament, one time too often..." Goku said, and an uncharacteristically mischievous smirk played on his face.

Gohan looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"The Thunderflash-attack?" he all-but guessed.

Goku nodded, still smirking.

"It is very effective, as you have seen, but it has, or had, a flaw. It took him too much time to execute it, and by the time he was ready to fire it I had already teleported behind him, prepared a Kamehame-ha and fired it at him at point-blank range. Imagine his surprise..."

Gohan smirked now too.

"I can imagine, dad. One should never let his guard down in front of a Saiyan, as beaten as he may look..."

Goku patted his son on the back.

"My sentiments exactly, son."

Meanwhile they had reached their friends, and the first to congratulate Gohan was Piccolo, who had this honour because of being his first mentor.

"Kid, I'm very proud of you. You have become a formidable fighter, and by the time we will be wished back we will be ready." he exclaimed, and gave his ex-pupil and forceful handshake.

.

.

Now it was Vegeta's turn...

"Not bad, brat, not bad at all. With a bit polishing I might make a decent Saiyan out of you after all." he said and stalked off.

Gohan only quirked a surprised eyebrow at Vegeta's retreating form, for this was the nearest to a compliment Vegeta had ever made.

And Krillin, who was standing next to Goku, just shrugged.

"That's Vegeta for you. Congratulations, Gohan!" the ex-monk exclaimed and pulled Gohan into a warrior's hug. Tien and Yamcha did the same, while Gohan realized that he would not say no to a hug coming from Videl...

After all congratulations had been made, Gohan began to scan actively for Videl, only to find her still sitting in the audience.

And with a groan Gohan remembered that the show was not over yet...

**'Bugger!**** The awards show! I completely forgot that I will receive this medal from the Grand Kai...'**

Goku had heard the groan coming from his son, and looked at him questioningly.

"Son, what's up? Anything wrong?"

Gohan shook his head.

"It's just that I had forgotten that I will receive that medal from the Grand Kai. And you know how much I like being the centre of attention..."

All present (except Gohan, of course) smirked at this statement. It was common knowledge how much Gohan 'loved' attention, they had all seen examples of it.

At first, they had had a very hard time to convince poor Gohan to celebrate his birthday with more people than just his mom and dad when he had been a kid, and other examples of extreme shyness had followed.

And it did not help that Gohan was exceptionally strong and bright, and had all the physical attributes of a Saiyan, which would guarantee him attention if he was not extremely careful...

True, nowadays Gohan could freely show just how strong he was, and he was very glad for it. Even if he would have to explain a lot once he would have the opportunity to talk to a certain raven-haired woman...

.

.

While Gohan was contemplating this, Krillin smiled sympathetically at the demi-Saiyan.

"Just take the whole celebration in stride, Gohan. After all, you _deserve_ it. You fought an awesome tournament, ascended further than anyone thought possible and beat your old dad. That's bloody brilliant!"

Gohan still looked unconvinced, until Goku, in an attempt of humour said

"Hey! I resent that! I'm not old!" and put on a pout that could rival that of a five year old.

This caused everyone to laugh, and Gohan had to admit that, all things considered, it would probably not be that bad after all.

**'Yeah, after all, once this whole awards show is over I can concentrate on the girl...'** Gohan thought, smiling.

The others noticed his smile, and took it as a sign that he would just do what they had suggested: enjoy it.

.

.

Little did that know that he planned to enjoy something else much more...

Ever since he had begun to fight the Androids he had learned to rely on his inner voice, to let the Saiyan side of his being out.

As a kid and during his (rather short-lived) youth he had done everything to suppress his instincts and urges to act different than his mother taught him, and had controlled his Saiyan side with iron discipline.

But when the Androids had killed his mother, while she had been in the city during one of their attacks, something in Gohan had exploded.

He had felt his mother's KI vanish, and the control his human side had had over his Saiyan side had vanished too.

There and then he had let his Saiyan side take over, and in his anger he had accomplished something he had not thought possible: he had become a Super Saiyan.

Ever since then Gohan had never again suppressed his Saiyan side, his instincts, the part of his being he had neglected for so long.

Finally, after some struggle the two halves of him had come to an understanding, and 'lived' now in equilibrium. He would not have believed it, but his Saiyan side had had a lot to offer.

Gohan had now full trust in his instincts, and his instincts told him that Videl would be a worthy mate for him. And once this blasted awards show was over he would make a move on her...

.

.

**to**** be continued...**

.

.

A/N: this chappie popped into my head spontaneously, and it's completely un-betaed (sorry Rose, don't grill my butt ). You see where I will go with this story, and I will try to write on it whenever I have the time. Though updates may (and will) take quite a while in comparison to the other stories. The fighting is now over for the time being, whereas it has just begun in my post-GT storyline.

.

.

.

**Review answers:**

.

.

**foxfire22: Thanks! Yeah, that they will. It's not over... **

.

.

**brian****: Thanks for the review! **

.

.

**Digi**** fan: Cool you liked it! Though the fights are over for the time being...**

.

.

**Dark Angel: Wow, that's one compliment! Thanks, and if you liked the fights, my post-GT-story will be after your taste. The fights just started...**

**and**** no, the Kais won't bring them back to life. that would be against the rules...**

**that's**** due to the fact that Bardock is in hell, for he was still sentenced there, despite his efforts before his death (my opinion). I'll see if I can do something about it in the future... **

.

.

**chrey419: Thank you. and be sure, there are future plans for them... **

.

.

**SupersayiankingTommy****: yeah, occasionally I have good ideas, I must agree. **

.

.

**Deathlord98: yeah, most would have thought that goku would win, but nope... **

**.**

**.**

**Candy the Duck: and you'll see more videl involvement in the future...**

**as**** for the dictionary, you're welcome! **

.

.

**supersaiyaman****: I hope so too... **

.

.

**Raid-Scion-of-Randomness: I thank you for r&ring it! Yeah, that's where I got part of my inspiration from, the other comes from my imagination. Actually, I wrote more than seven sides full of moves for fighting scenes, and am constantly adding...**

**and**** I'm really flattered to hear that you're my biggest fan! wow! thanks! **

.

.

**KyLewin****: yeah, but I hope the surprise was a good one. and you're welcome, I hope to see more of your stories soon! **

.

.

**Anthony1: thanks! as for videl and Gohan, you'll see... **

**What a nice way to wrap up this tournament. Gohan was able to overcome his father and become the new chapion. But the question is that with the tournament now over with what will he and all the other Z-fighters do now? Also, will Gohan and Videl officially meet each other? Until the next chapter, see ya. **

.

.

**DBZ Chick1: thank you! although my update rate will decline too, I'm afraid... **

.

.

**Roadkill4: gonna continue it, of course! **

.

.

**animeprincess1452****: yup, that is for sure... **

.

.

**Cappucine****: why, thank you! that's a huge compliment, and I'm glad that you liked the first tourney. the other is developing too... **

.

.

**zara**** m: thanks, I try my best, and I'm sure Gohan will do to regarding Videl... **

.

.

**Rose Vaughn: I like to surprise... :)**

.

.

**Goku's little sister: that he did, and glad that you liked it. though I'm quite sure grand kai will worm himself out... **

.

.

**Tim Knispel: thank you! I try my best... **

.

.

**Marshmellow13Dragon: yeah, that shows it quite clearly, doesn't it? I'm glad that you liked the fights, and you can be sure there is more to this story... **


	20. A surprising award

**Title:** Welcome to the Afterlife, son!

**Author name:** Trugeta

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Akira Toriyama and Funimation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

This story focuses on the Mirai timeline after Gohan has been killed by the Androids. It's an AU, and Reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**  
Chapter 20: A surprising award**

**  
Last time...**

**  
**Ever since then Gohan had never again suppressed his Saiyan side, his instincts, the part of his being he had neglected for so long.

**  
**Finally, after some struggle the two halves of him had come to an understanding, and 'lived' now in equilibrium. He would not have believed it, but his Saiyan side had had a lot to offer.

**  
**Gohan had now full trust in his instincts, and his instincts told him that Videl would be a worthy mate for him. And once this blasted awards show was over he would make a move on her...

**  
Now the continuation... **

**  
**The 'blasted' awards show, as Gohan had dubbed it, proceeded as Gohan had expected. At first. Under the cheers of the spectators the demi-Saiyan received his medal, naturally after a long (but heartfelt) speech from the Grand Kai. But then something happened which had not been expected by the son of Goku.

**  
**Originally the winner of the Afterlife tournament would have received one year of training with the Grand Kai, but from what he had seen in the tournament the Grand Kai knew that Gohan had him outclassed in power by far.

**  
**Thus it had been time for some quick thinking, and due to his millennia spanning experience the Grand Kai had had a spontaneous flash of genius before the awards show.

**  
**He had watched Gohan intently throughout the whole tournament, and the growth in power this young man had shown assured him that the young demi-Saiyan had such a huge potential which he had seen seldom before.  
**'Alas, had he been able to unleash this potential during his mortal existence we would not have so much work right now. But there is still someone down on Earth who might be able to set things right. To hope against hope is normally not becoming of a Kai, but in this case it is all that remains.'** Grand Kai mused

**  
**Due to Gohan's show of power in the tournament the Grand Kai had decided to allow Gohan and warriors of his choice to train in what the Kais called the 'Density belt' of the otherworld.

**  
**The Density belt consisted of worlds of high gravity, unexceptionally. Their origins had been lost over time, but Grand Kai mused that the Dai-Kaio Shin had had a hand in creating them.

**  
**Only very few warriors had ever been allowed to train upon the worlds of the Density belt, not because they were not inhabitable, for they were, but because of the enormous gravity that reigned on those worlds. And very few warriors had the power potential necessary to train on these worlds.

**  
**Another sign that the worlds of the Density belt had been created specifically was the circumstance, that the degree of gravity varied from planet to planet, making the belt the ultimate trainings ground for exceptional warriors.

**  
**The gravity varied from 100 G to 1000 G (except for one planet, on which's surface a gravity of murderous 1500 G reigned), and the training grounds which had been created for each planet were designed to resist the monstrous strain of gravity in case of the high-gravity planets for all eternity.

**  
**After Grand Kais plan had been approved by the solely surviving Dai-Kaio Shin, Grand Kai had used the help of all magic-users to accommodate the belt-worlds to the needs of its future users.

**  
**Grand Kai had the firm suspicion that he knew the identities of Gohan's fellow trainings-partners, and he also knew the food-consuming capacities of those warriors despite the fact that they were dead.

**  
**If he was right he would have to bend the rules a tad bit in one case, but that would not pose a problem.

**  
**After all, due to his merits and due to the fact that he had won the tournament Gohan could chose whoever he wanted, and thus said person had to be accommodated to the planet.

**  
**It was a great relief for the Grand Kai that his plan had been approved completely, that gave him some leeway.

**  
**Now it was time to let the cat out of the bag, and Grand Kai grinned. Resetting his trademark sunglasses he looked into the round before continuing with his speech.  
"And now, dudes, I have an award to assign. Gohan Son, as winner of the Afterlife tournament your prize would have been one year of training with me. Originally."

**  
**At hearing this, the mass of spectators looked at the Grand Kai expectant. What was he up to now? Knowing him, something crazy, fun, but crazy.

**  
**Grand Kai grinned at their reaction.  
"But due to the awesome power and potential you, Gohan, displayed in the tournament you have been deemed worthy to train in the Density belt!" he exclaimed, and the crowd gasped. Now that was nearly unheard of!

**  
**Gohan, on the other hand, looked dumbfounded, as did the other Z-Fighters. Density belt? Now what was that?

**  
**Seeing Gohan's confusion Grand Kai only grinned and launched himself into an explanation.  
"Gohan, the Density belt is a cluster of worlds with varying gravity. The gravity varies from world to world, from 100 G to 1000 G. This makes the belt an ideal trainings ground for warriors who have displayed the amount of power and potential you have shown. Also, additionally you can name other warriors to accompany you to your trainings trip to the belt. How is that?"

**  
**The question was completely needless, for Gohan had been exalted of his award ever since he had heard the word 'ideal trainings ground'. That was even better than one year of training with the Grand Kai!

**  
**Gohan smirked as he answered.  
"Your honour, I am more than honoured to receive this award." he said loud enough to be heard by all and shook the Grand Kais hand, whereupon the Grand Kai smirked too and answered with an "Anytime, dude."

**  
**Then Gohan looked at the spectators and waved  
"Thanks for all your support, folks! I had a great time and I hope you had too!"

**  
**The resulting cheers from the crowd were deafening, and Gohan's smirk widened. Especially when his eyes fell onto a certain raven-haired young woman. If it was possible, he would include her in the trainings trip. Yup, that sounded like a plan. But first he wanted to know her name and if she was interested.

**  
**After the cheers had died down Gohan turned back to the Grand Kai, who visibly enjoyed basking in the assemblage.  
"I guess you'd like to know who I want to take with me on the trainings trip." Gohan said, and at seeing Grand Kais nod Gohan continued.  
"Well, the Z-Gang should be pretty obvious. Meaning my dad, Vegeta, Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha and Chao-Tzu. Oh, and if it is possible I would like to include another one, but I gotta ask her first. Is that okay with you?"

**  
**Grand Kai nodded. He had a firm suspicion as to who this other one would be, but he kept quiet and limited him to watching how things would unfold. Young people were always so much fun to watch.  
"Of course it is okay with me. Just tell me your final choice once you are ready, dude."

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"Okay, will do. And thanks."

**  
**Grand Kai smirked.  
"Anytime, dude."

**  
**Gohan then ventured over to where the rest of the Z-Gang was standing, a smirk on his face.  
"Well guess what," he began once he had reached them, "we are going on a training trip."

**  
**Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo who had heard Grand Kais explanation about the Density belt smirked, whereas the human part of the Z-Gang did not quite know what to make of that. Then Tien spoke up.  
"I assume that has something to do with this Density belt the Grand Kai mentioned, but we," he pointed at his fellow human team mates, "did not hear what he said to you. Care to enlighten us?" he joked.

**  
**Gohan smirked.  
"Sure. The Density belt the Grand Kai mentioned is a cluster of worlds with high gravity. According to him the world with the lowest gravity has a gravity of 100 G, and the highest is 1000 G. Perfect training grounds, I'd say."

**  
**Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo all smirked at this, whereas the humans looked put out.  
"Yeah, sure, but not for us." Krillin said. "We won't be able to train there, as the highest gravity setting we could resist on Earth while using the GR was 30 G. Which means we won't be able to use those training grounds." he concluded contritely.

**  
**Gohan nodded thoughtfully. In all this commotion he had forgotten about that.  
"Hmm, you got a point there. I'll ask the Grand Kai what we can do about this, but first I've got something to do. Till later!"

**  
**As the demi-Saiyan departed, Yamcha smirked.  
"I bet I know what he's up to." Seeing that he had the attention of the others he brought on the punch-line, "He's going to meet the president of his fan club!"

**  
**The reactions coming from the others varied from smirks (yeah, Vegeta had learned to tolerate Yamcha) to outright laughs, and Yamcha's assessment was deemed as quite probable.

**  
**Meanwhile Gohan had finished scanning the crowd and had found the raven-haired young woman he had seeked. She was just getting up from her seat next to an older man with an afro and a moustache when she noticed him.

**  
**She graced him with a smile that could have caused riots on Earth, and Gohan felt himself smile back involuntarily.

**  
**They seemed to converse silently and agreed to meet in the hallway that led to the arena. Gohan also noticed that the young woman was staring optical daggers at the man with the afro, obviously for something he had said. He saw her tell the man off, huff and leave. Shacking his head in mirth he decided to leave too and proceeded towards the meeting point.  
**'Hmm, taking her obvious temper into account I'd say that she's quite the fiery one. Plus she was allowed to watch the tournament, which means she must be a warrior or at least a fighter. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but it seems I'm finally meeting a girl I could really like, gauging from what I have seen, heard and sensed of her up till now. Too bad that it couldn't have happened when I was still alive, but one can't have everything. Nevertheless, that should be interesting...' **

**  
TBC...**

**  
**————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**  
Next time: Gohan and Videl meet face to face for the first time. And Gohan sure as a lot of explaining to do what with all that he pulled off in the tournament. So stay tuned for more! **

**  
As always very special thanks to my beta Rose Vaughn, who is doing a great job! Thx, Ash! **

**  
**————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**  
Thanks to**

matt zero

Rejhan

rjectkd89

C-Boyd

goldfighter

DBZ Chick1

zara m

gaul1

Anthony1

korrd

Dark Angel

Goku's little sister

animeprincess1452

Candy the Duck

Rose Vaughn

Digi fan

Cappucine

foxfire22

brian


	21. The first meeting and a lesson in Saiyan...

**Title**: Welcome to the Afterlife, son!

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Akira Toriyama and Funimation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

This story focuses on the Mirai timeline after Gohan has been killed by the Androids. It's an AU, and Reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**Author's Note: yeah, I'm still alive and kicking. As for why I didn't update in so long, check my bio page. On reviewer asked if Gohan got his arm back. Yup, check Chapter 1 for reference. Now, without much further ado, on with the story.**

**  
Chapter 21: The first meeting and a lesson in Saiyan history**

**  
Last time... **

**  
**They seemed to converse silently and agreed to meet in the hallway that led to the arena. Gohan also noticed that the young woman was staring optical daggers at the man with the afro, obviously for something he had said. He saw her tell the man off, huff and leave. Shacking his head in mirth he decided to leave too and proceeded towards the meeting point.  
**'Hmm, taking her obvious temper into account I'd say that she's quite the fiery one and quite the fighter. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but it seems I'm finally meeting a girl I could really like. That should be interesting...'**

**  
Now the continuation...**

**  
**A few minutes later Gohan had reached the concerted meeting point, were the young raven-haired woman, whose name Gohan still did not know, was already waiting for him.

**  
**As he approached her, the young demi-Saiyan studied her intently. Aside from the obvious beauty and her confirmed temper Gohan noticed that this woman was quite strong for a normal human.  
**'She sure has potential. Gauging from her KI I'd say she's as strong as Krillin was when we fought against the Saiyans so long ago.'** He nodded to himself, smirking, **'Yeah, with the right amount of training we should be able to form a fine warrior out of her. Maybe she is the mate I have known existed for me, and training her might present an excellent challenge too. Gotta love challenges.' **he mused.

**  
**Meanwhile Videl Satan had also noticed the approach of Gohan, and she like Gohan had done with her studied him intently, now that she had the chance to do so from up close.

**  
**As she had noticed during the tournament, Gohan was remarkably well muscled and seemed to be in excellent health, despite being dead.

**  
**But unlike some muscle-heads she had come to know (and whose attentions and affections towards her she had stomped in its tracks) he did not have the burly build of a bodybuilder, but that of a warrior.

**  
**Sure, she had heard of Gohan's past from the announcer and knew, that he had been part of an elite of warriors on Earth when he had still been alive, but this close-up-view gave her all the proof that it had indeed been so, and was not some trick like her dad had claimed.  
**'Phew, was does dad know anyway? When the brains were distributed he was probably some place else, boasting about his greatness. Too bad he hasn't learned anything from his stay up here. Ah, forget dad. Better check out this hunk of a guy, Videl.'**

**  
**As Gohan walked towards her through the crowd Videl noticed that he was moving with a self-confidence he had not possessed when the tournament had started.

**  
**She knew that he had been fighting the Androids down on Earth when he had still been alive, but now she realised that he had probably been the only one to face them day after day.

**  
**Videl could hardly imagine how Gohan must have felt when he had been unable to stop those monsters from committing yet another atrocity, but she could imagine how depressed the young warrior must have been when the mechanical monsters had finally succeeded in removing the last obstacle in their way to a free reign of terror, namely him.

**  
**She herself had faced the murderous Androids too, and she remembered all too clearly the overwhelming sense of helpless powerlessness when she had failed to stop those beasts from killing her dad in the most painful way.

**  
**And those _things_ had actually laughed the whole time! Their insane laughter had also been the last sound she had heard in her worldly existence, before they had shown her the 'mercy' of killing her.

**  
**Yes, Gohan must have literally lived in a living nightmare, a nightmarish hell. That he was displaying confidence and strength once again showed that he had begun to overcome his depression caused by his 'failure' to safe the world from the mechanical monsters. If Gohan still felt guilty for 'failing' the world, she would see to it that he'd overcome it fast.

**  
**Videl was raised out of her musings when she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching, and she raised her head in time to look up into deep brown, no coal-black eyes.  
**'Wow, I've never seen so dark-coloured eyes. I wonder how he does the trick to change their colour...' **

**  
**Gohan for his part looked Videl right in the eyes too, incidentally left to his musings about Videl.  
**'Wheew, she has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. And from up close she looks even cuter. Let's see where this will lead...'  
**"Hello," he began, "you must be my 'fan-club'." he said, and saw her blushing, "I'm Gohan Son, and I thank you for your support during the tournament. It helped at great deal." he finished smiling.

**  
**Videl blushed once more (quite cutely, in Gohan's opinion), quickly hiding it by looking down briefly.  
"You're welcome." she then said, smiling serenely, "I am Videl Satan, and it's nice to meet you, Gohan Son."

**  
**Gohan smirked before answering.  
"The pleasure is all mine. And please call me Gohan."

**  
**Videl answered with a smirk of her own.  
"Only if you call me Videl."

**  
**"Sure!" Gohan answered, before coming to more practical matters. "Videl, I suppose that you know the area better than me. Do you have any suggestions where we could sit down and talk? I'd like to get to know you better."

**  
**If anyone had been so forward during her mortal life Videl would supposedly given him a sound trashing, being the spoiled 'princess' she had been, but her stay in the Afterlife had really been an eye-opener.

**  
**Besides, Videl knew from the tournament that Gohan possessed the skills and strength to back up his forwardness, though Videl was sure that Gohan would never have used his superiority in strength, speed and skill to try anything indecent.

**  
**Thus she only said, "That's fine by me. I'd suggest we walk to the park that surrounds the arena. There we can sit down and talk."

**  
**Gohan nodded at the suggestion.  
"Lead the way, Videl." he said and smiled.

**  
**Videl nodded and smiled too, and the two young people sat themselves in motion. Curious as Videl was she started asking questions.  
"As you know, I have seen all of your fights during the tournament. How did you become so good?"

**  
**Gohan looked at her. For the first time since his arrival in the Afterlife he did not mind being asked this question. The young demi-Saiyan had come to the realization, that he had given his all (literally!) in his fight against the Androids.

**  
**At the time he could not have done better, as the power-boost he had received had kicked in too late to make a difference. With the realization that he could not have done anything differently came acceptance, albeit grudgingly. His only hope for Earth was, that Trunks would somehow be able to make a difference.

**  
**He shook himself out of his musings when he realized that he had not answered Videl's question yet. Meanwhile they had arrived in the park, and in a silent understanding they sat down.  
"Sorry, I spaced out for a bit." he excused, and Videl smiled understandingly. "Well, I have been training ever since I could walk. And it sure helps that my dad, Son Goku, as you might have heard, is (or better was) one of Earths' best martial artists and warriors there is. When I was five my evil uncle Radditz arrived on Earth."

**  
**At that Videl cocked an eyebrow. Sure, she knew from her stay in the Afterlife that a lot of Aliens existed in the Universe, but what Gohan had said implied that his uncle did not originate from Earth. But Gohan looked human. So...

**  
**"I know what you're thinking, Videl." Gohan said smiling. "Remember the time when the Z-Fighters fought invaders from space?" he asked, and Videl nodded. "Well, that happened after my dad and Piccolo, the green-skinned Namekian you have seen in the tournament, managed to stop my uncle. It turned out that my uncle was a Saiyan."

**  
**"A Saiyan?" Videl asked, "One sec, I remember that the announcer said that this Vegeta was the Prince of all Saiyans. But what is a Saiyan, Gohan?"

**  
**"I suggest you lie down, Videl. This will take a bit longer." Gohan said, and Videl did as he had suggested. "Good. Well, what I tell you know consists of facts I have come to learn from Vegeta and from scientific studies conducted by Bulma."

**  
**At that Videl looked up.  
"Bulma? As in Bulma Briefs, head of Capsule Corp.?" she asked.

**  
**Gohan nodded a positive.  
"Yup, exactly this Bulma, and incidentally Vegeta's wife. But I'll come to that later. Videl, as you have come to know from your stay in the Afterlife the universe is a big place, and a lot of 'Alien' races live in it. The Saiyan race was once one of them. You see, once, on a planet many light years away, a long time ago, there lived a noble and proud warrior race. They had given their planet the name Saiya. They were the Saiyan race." Gohan began.

**  
**"Wow, that sounds like the opening credits from Star Wars!" Videl joked.

**  
**"Yeah, it does, doesn't it? Well, for a long time the Saiyan race consisted of proud warriors who followed a strict code of honour, and they strived to help and protect the weak. They often defended whole races against threats no one else would have had a chance against. In time, the Saiyans grew stronger and stronger as well physically as in numbers, for you must know, that the strength and endurance of a Saiyan increase each time he or she is wounded and heals."

**  
**Videl cocked a brow at that.  
"Wow, now that's what I'd call extremely helpful!"

**  
**Gohan nodded and continued.  
"What I tell you now are the results of the scientific studies Bulma conducted. She got some really remarkable test results and insights into the Saiyan race. And trust me, Vegeta did not like to play guinea pig for her, not one bit. My dad on the other hand was easily swayed by the promise of a big barbecue at that time." he said grinning.

**  
**"Anyways, Saiyans have the remarkable ability to soak up damage that would kill or incapacitate a lesser life form and still remain standing - and even fight back furiously! A Saiyan will eventually use up his reserves and fall; however, when he or she is healed he/she will be that much stronger, directly proportionate to the amount of damage inflicted on him/her. A Saiyan's metabolism and energy production increases in strength and efficiency with recovery from damage, as his/her body attempts to shield him/her from further injury of the same kind. This type of recovery is extremely beneficial. However, physical damage is the only damage that, if not permanently crippling or lethal, is directly beneficial to increases in strength." Gohan paused.

**  
**Videl looked at him fascinated.  
"Wow, they were the perfect warrior race!" she exclaimed.

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"That they were. But then something happened. Like all times when a race gains power and respect, there were others who envied them and wanted them removed from the picture. You see, there was a rivalling race called the Tsufuru-jin, rivalling albeit they were both members of the same Alliance. But the crux is, the Tsufuru-jin only _pretended _to be allies of the Saiyan race and went a long way to prove it, and the Saiyans of that time trusted their allies. However, as said it had all been part of a plan to gain the Saiyan races' trust in order to ultimately eliminate them. The Tsufuru-jin felt threatened by the Saiyans, as they had witnessed how fast the Saiyan race had been gaining power. They feared the Saiyans, and due to their advanced technology, especially in bio-technology, they designed a biological weapon of the worst kind, designed to eliminate all life on the planet Saiya and render the planet unhabitable."

**  
**"Oh my, that is awful!" Videl exclaimed.

**  
**Gohan nodded, looking dejected and sad.  
"The Tsufuru-jin released it and it started killing off everything on the planet immediately. It is not cleared in detail how they managed to pull it off, but Vegeta told me that the most probable answer to that is, that they used a suicide commando to release the virus. A suicide commando that consisted of Tsufuru-jin ambassadors, most likely. Although a lot of Saiyans died in the initial release of the virus, a great many of the Saiyans managed to escape from the planet just in time. After they had evacuated the planet, which had become inhabitable due to the virus, they called together their entire remaining fleet. Then they sat out to find another planet. At first, the Saiyan race still remained true to their values and still cared about not harming other races, but as time went by and they wandered the galaxy they became bitter and enraged, downright obsessed with plans of vengeance, and they started hurting and killing people who didn't deserve it. After many centuries they returned to their region of origin, not caring any more whether they hurt innocents or not." Gohan said, looking sad.

**  
**Videl looked up at him, saw his sadness and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder. This simple gesture suddenly held a lot of meaning for both of them, and they looked into each others eyes before Videl looked down, once more blushing.  
**'Oh my, I have never been so forward in my mortal existence. Aww, screw that, who cares, I'm dead, no need to play it slow.'**

**  
**Gohan's sadness had vanished, and he continued the tale.  
"When the Saiyans returned to their area of origin, they had become uncaring warriors, dead set on preserving their species at any cost, and, nearly equally important, getting revenge. And so that nobody could betray the trust of the Saiyan race again, they simply started attacking their former allies, good or bad. In the centuries that the Saiyan race had spent wandering the galaxy their former allies had figured out which of them had betrayed the Saiyan race, the Tsufuru-jin. When the Saiyans had begun destroying planets of their former allies, they offered the Saiyans the identity of their betrayers, in the (vain) hope to pacify the Saiyans. They believed that they could appeal to the Saiyans' honour, but what they did not know was, that the honour of the Saiyan race had become self-serving. And thus, after the Saiyans received the confirmation and definite proof that indeed the Tsufuru-jin had been the betrayers, they wiped their former allies out anyway. Not as complete as what they planned for the Tsufuru-jin, for in several cases they 'just' bombed their former allies back into Stone Age and beyond. After that, the Saiyans began plotting their revenge. It was decided that they would punish the Tsufuru-jin in the same way the Tsufuru-jin had intended to do to the Saiyans, namely by wiping them out. To top it, the Saiyans planned to keep the planet of the Tsufuru-jin as their own. After that was decided, the Saiyans set their remaining fleet, which had degenerated over the centuries, in motion and went to planet Plant, the home planet of the Tsufuru-jin. But as said, the Tsufuru-jin were technological advanced, _very_ advanced. They had a really good defensive net around their planet, not to mention planet-based defences. And my ancestors paid a severe price for disabling this defence."

**  
'I can guess were this is heading.'** Videl thought, and grasped Gohan's hand.

**  
**Giving the woman beside him a smile, the demi-Saiyan proceeded to tell Videl the story of his ancestors.

"Right. The defensive net nearly annihilated the complete Saiyan fleet before my ancestors were able to destroy it and the planet-based defence. Only two large battle-ships had survived the battle intact, and numerous space-pods. Luckily for my ancestors the Tsufuru-jin had not populated the whole planet, and thus my ancestors abandoned the remaining ships and used the space-pods to claim the uninhabited region. This part of the world was ruled by harsh environmental condition. It was mountainous and inhospitable, the reason why the Tsufuru-jin had not populated this area until then. Though they were very advanced, they were small in numbers and had no need to claim more of the planet. But my ancestors were tough, and several ten-thousand had survived the space-battle. They spent years to recover in the mountains, and had to repel more than one attack by the Tsufuru-jin. But then came the day when they deemed themselves strong enough to take out the Tsufuru-jin once and for all. But they were not as ready as they thought."

**  
**Gohan paused for a moment, trying to remember everything that Vegeta had told him correctly. Once he had gathered his bearings, he went on.  
"As said, the Tsufuru-jin were highly advanced in science and managed to repel the invading Saiyans at first due to their superior technology. At first my ancestors were losing big time. But not for long." Gohan paused.

**  
**One look at Videl would have told anyone that he had captivated her with his tale. She positively hung at his lips (and would most likely have liked to do so literally too).

"What happened to make the Saiyans overcome the Tsufuru-jin albeit their better weapons, Gohan?" she asked.

**  
**Gohan smiled.  
"To answer that you must know another biological fact on the Saiyan race. Saiyans are naturally born with a fully functional tail, and this tail also serves another purpose. Under the right circumstances it can be used to transform the Saiyan into another form. This form is much stronger than the normal form of a Saiyan, and this state is called 'Oozaru'. An Oozaru is a giant were-monkey, capable of levelling mountains with his/her fists alone. All the invading Saiyans had to do was to keep the Tsufuru-jin long enough out of their hair, until the two moons of planet Plant had set. This happened thirty days after the Saiyans had invaded, and unlike the Earth moon the moons of Plant remain set a much longer time. During these three weeks the Oozaru-army managed to destroy the entire Tsufuru-jin army despite all their technological advancement, and in the end, the Tsufuru-jin were wiped out completely. The Saiyans took Planet Plant as their own and renamed it into Planet Vegeta, to honour their King and leader. But that is not everything. There is more..."

**  
TBC...**

**  
**————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**  
Next time: Gohan explains more of the Saiyan history to Videl, and the first feelings show themselves. Stay tuned! **

**  
As always very special thanks to my beta Rose Vaughn, who is doing a great job! Thx, Ash! **

**  
**————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**  
Thanks to:**

**  
wizardmon92**

**  
trunks and goten**

**  
Pikachu90000**

**  
DBZ Chick1**

**  
MarshmellowDragon**

**  
Digi fan**

**  
goldfighter**

**  
Rose Vaughn**

**  
Rejhan**

**  
chris**

**  
CW**

**  
Tootsy**

**  
BrandonB**

**  
zara m**


	22. A day in the park

**Title**: Welcome to the Afterlife, son!

**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Akira Toriyama and Funimation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

This story focuses on the Mirai timeline after Gohan has been killed by the Androids. It's an AU, and Reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**Author's Note: Important Note at the end of the chapter. Please read.**

**  
Chapter 22: A day in the park**

**  
Last time... **

**  
**Gohan smiled.  
"To answer that you must know another biological fact on the Saiyan race. Saiyans are naturally born with a fully functional tail, and this tail also serves another purpose. Under the right circumstances it can be used to transform the Saiyan into another form. This form is much stronger than the normal form of a Saiyan, and this state is called 'Oozaru'. An Oozaru is a giant were-monkey, capable of levelling mountains with his/her fists alone. All the invading Saiyans had to do was to keep the Tsufuru-jin as long out of their hair, until the two moons of planet Plant had set. This happened thirty days after the Saiyan had invaded, and unlike the Earth moon the moons of Plant remain set a much longer time. During these three weeks the Oozaru-army managed to destroy the entire Tsufuru-jin army, and in the end, the Tsufuru-jin were wiped out completely. The Saiyans took Planet Plant as their own and renamed it into Planet Vegeta, to honour their King and leader. But that is not everything. There is more..."

**  
Now the continuation...**

**  
**Videl looked at him incredulous.  
"What, there is more?"

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"Yup, sure is. You see, all the planets that had been destroyed, purged or bombed back into the stone age attracted the curiosity of a space tyrant called Frieza. He was a member of the Ice-jin empire, a race consisting of cruel mercenaries who had dedicated themselves to a very lucrative business: the selling of planets."

**  
**That shook Videl to the core.  
"Come on, Gohan, you must be joking!" she exclaimed.

**  
**Gohan shook his head.  
"My time on Earth in the fights with the Androids removed my capability to tell jokes." he said only half in jest. "In earnest, Frieza had seen the ability of the Saiyans to purge a planet as efficiently as they had, and he figured they'd make excellent assets for his business activities. As said, Frieza was a warlord for hire, a mercenary who sold Planets to the highest bidder. Any one who wanted a planet for their own, simply hired Frieza, and he would either find them a suitable planet or simply go get you the one you indicated, regardless if the planet was inhabited or not, the inhabitants would simply be wiped out, the planet purged. Thus Frieza approached the Saiyans and offered them employment and wealth. All they had to do was purge planets for him. Due to the fact that the Saiyans had become cold-hearted warriors, they accepted the treaty in a heartbeat, partially out of respect and a little out of fear of Frieza's power, for he was enormously strong. The main reason why King Vegeta accepted the offer lay therein, that the Saiyans just did not give a damn any more who they harmed, all they wanted was to become stronger and live in wealth."

**  
**"Not that it could be justified, but I can nearly understand them." Videl said.

**  
**Gohan nodded once, and continued.  
"But in the end, the Saiyans were betrayed again. For during the 'cooperation' with Frieza, the Saiyan race grew stronger and stronger constantly, due to all the fighting and purging they did. Soon the weakest warriors of the Saiyans had become equals or even superiors to Friezas elite troops, and that was when the tyrant realized what would happen in the future. He realized that if the millions of Saiyans who lived on Planet Vegeta were allowed to grow stronger constantly, they would soon become a threat to himself, regardless of his power. If they all attacked him in a group then, they might very well win, despite all his might. And furthermore, the warlord knew of a Saiyan legend, the legend of the Legendary Super Saiyan. The legend stated, that 3000 years ago a warrior of the Saiyan race had somehow gained unstoppable power through transforming into something else, namely the Legendary Super Saiyan. His power was unrivalled, and he was virtually unstoppable. Now Frieza feared, that what with the power of the Saiyan race steadily growing, that sooner or later the Legendary Super Saiyan would emerge once more. Naturally, he did not want to take this chance, and thus he destroyed Planet Vegeta with all Saiyans on it."

**  
** "Oh my god!" Videl gasped, "Despite from what you told me what the Saiyans became, they did not deserve this fate!"

**  
**Gohan nodded, and then continued.  
"Well, only very few Saiyans were not on planet at that time, and those who were stationed at Frieza's outposts were killed. One of those who weren't on planet was an infant boy named Kakkarot, he landed on Earth in the woods and lost his memory when he bumped his head. Luck that he did, for his mission had been to purge Earth, so that the planet could be sold. Anyways, he was raised as a human boy by a man named Gohan, and he later on married a human woman named Chi-Chi, my mother, never knowing his true origins." he said and paused.

**  
**"Yes," Gohan continued upon seeing Videl's look, "Son Goku, my father, is a Saiyan, whose Saiyan name is Kakkarott. You will hear Vegeta refer to him only as Kakkarott. Well, my father was also the first Saiyan in recent history who managed to become a Super Saiyan and he was the one who finally beat Frieza once and for all."

**  
**"Good!" Videl exclaimed, "That monster deserved it! But what about the Super Saiyan and all the things that you and your father did during the tournament? When you transformed, was that the Super Saiyan?" she asked.

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"Yes. A Saiyan who has a sufficient power-level can transform into a Super Saiyan under the right circumstances. Needed is a state of a need for more power. Important here is, that the power of the Super Saiyan comes in response to a need, not a desire. That is why Vegeta tried so long in vain to become a Super Saiyan. You know, he and my dad were rivals ever since his arrival on Earth. No, then they were bitter enemies. But in time, their relationship changed into rivalry, and until the death of my dad Vegeta was obsessed with becoming stronger than him. All he wanted was to finally beat him, to prove his superiority as the Prince of all Saiyans. Ironically not Vegeta was the one to beat him, but a stupid virus." he said with bitterness. Shrugging of the old feeling of sadness he continued, thankful for the hand Videl had placed on his shoulder.  
"Anyways, I don't know all the details, but Vegeta was able to become a Super Saiyan when his space-pod was nearly destroyed during a meteor-shower in space. The need for more power in order to survive enabled him to achieve what he had sought so long, and at first it aided us greatly in our battle against Dr. Gero and his never to be sufficiently damned Androids. But this is another story for another time. I still haven't told you all the facts on the Saiyan race."

**  
**Videl looked incredulous again.  
"There's still more?"

**  
**Gohan smirked in response.  
"You betcha. As said, Saiyans possess strength and speed that could never be attained by humans. AND they possess much more KI than humans. As you might or might not know, KI is another term for the energy a living being possesses. Average humans without any training have an average KI of 10, whereas the KI of an average Saiyan ranges in the area of 1200 and above."

**  
**Videl whistled at this.

**  
**Gohan grinned once more.  
"Oh yeah, they are MUCH stronger and much more powerful. And now I'll give you more details on the Super Saiyan. When a Saiyan turns Super Saiyan his or her whole appearance changes. Normal Saiyans have usually jet black hair and eyes of coal-black colour, but when a Saiyan turns Super Saiyan his/her hair turns blonde and their eye colour changes to turquoise. He/she gains much more muscle mass, and the strength, speed, stamina and all other physical attributes are increased magnificently."

**  
**"That is what you did during the tournament, as well as your father and this Vegeta!" Videl exclaimed.

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"Yeah, and as you saw then, a Super Saiyan is MUCH stronger than a normal Saiyan. Remember the power level of a normal Saiyan?" she asked.

**  
**Videl nodded.  
"Yeah, it was 1200 I think." he said.

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"Yeah. Well, the power level of Super Saiyan is unlikely higher. When my father turned Super Saiyan for the first time he had a power level of 4.000.000." he explained, and Videl's eyes widened at hearing this.

**  
**"Four... million? That's... wow!" she exclaimed, after she had compared Goku's Super Saiyan power-level to that of a normal human.

**  
**"Yeah, but there's more to it than that." Gohan stated, grinning.

**  
**"Still more?" Videl asked in a low voice.

**  
**"Yup. You know, also the Super Saiyan can actually become stronger. When I fought the Androids, I became constantly stronger due to the beatings I received. If I had had access to a gravity simulator, I could have even progressed faster."

**  
**At Videl's questioning look Gohan explained.  
"Based on Saiyan technology, Bulma was able to develop a machine that could increase the gravity to up to 300 times. She installed it into a Gravity Room to help Vegeta train at that time. Well, after Vegeta had blown up the Gravity Room for the first time, Bulma was forced to built a better one. The first GR only ran safely up to 100 G, but the GR of the next generation supported up to 300 G, as said. After the Androids 17 and 18 were activated by Dr. Gero, one of their first objectives was to neutralize anything that could aid their enemies, us. The GR was such a tool, and they made sure to destroy it utterly. After the Androids had killed the majority of the Z-Gang, the survivors, among them Bulma, Trunks, my mother and I, were forced to retreat and hide ourselves, even though I had become a Super Saiyan during the battle because of the atrocities I had seen the Androids commit. From then on, Bulma never had the materials necessary to built another GR. Thus I was not able to progress as much as I could have otherwise. Anyways, I grew stronger with each beating and was then able to hold my own against one Android at a time, but I never managed to catch one alone. And together those murderous machines were too strong for me. This finally led to my demise, and except for one survivor, a demi-Saiyan like me, the Saiyan race is extinct."

**  
**"Wow! Before I died, I would never have thought that something like that could be possible. But after what I have seen here..." she trailed off.

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"Yeah, I imagine that you have seen some pretty weird stuff. But how did _you_ end up here?" he asked.

**  
**Videl looked somewhat embarrassed as she answered.  
"Well, before the Androids appeared my dad thought that he was one of the best and strongest fighters there were. He had won the last Tenkaichi Budokai, and when the Androids showed up he went out to meet them, intent on punishing them for the destruction they had caused. He thought that all their abilities were based on some sort of tricks, but I had a bad feeling about it and accompanied him. I'm a good fighter in my own right, and I thought I could help. Boy was I wrong! Dad met up with them and challenged them to a fight, confident that he would be the winner. The Androids only laughed, but instead of killing him instantly, like I now know they could have done, they decided to have their sick fun with him. I can't even put it into words what that blonde bitch did to him, it was so cruel!" she said and began to shake in face of the memory.

**  
**Now it was Gohan's turn to lay a comforting hand upon Videl's shoulder, and Videl accepted it gladly.  
"When they finally killed dad," she continued, "I was shocked at first. Then I saw red and attacked them head-on, and the last thing I can remember from that time is their insane laughter. That's how I ended up here. And in face of our 'heroic try' to stop the Androids we were allowed to keep our bodies and train with the other fighters up here. Dad has not used that opportunity much, in contrast to me. I have used every opportunity up here to train and become stronger. It's the least I can do to keep myself occupied, and it keeps me from thinking how many more innocent people will die at the hands of those beasts. I know it is not my fault that I could not stop them, in fact I know that I had the chance of a snowball in hell, but I always had the drive to fight. And that I could keep my body has given me a chance to train with the best."

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"And I can tell that you have already become much stronger. You're at least as powerful as my friend Krillin was before the Saiyans attacked Earth. And that's quite strong. But I am sure that you have much more potential."

**  
**Videl looked at him.  
"You really think so?" she asked with a smile.

**  
**Gohan answered with a smile of his own.  
"I am _sure_. In fact, I'll help you to become stronger and better if you want."

**  
**Videl looked at him, curiously.  
"And why would you want to do that, Gohan Son?" she asked in a playful tone.

**  
**Gohan pretended to think for a while.  
"Hmm, maybe because I like you, Videl Satan."

**  
**Videl smiled at him.  
"That is vice versa, Gohan Son."

**  
**And with that, they leaned forward simultaneously and shared their first kiss. When they finally disengaged from each other, they stared deeply into each others eyes.

**  
**"Do you believe in love at first sight, Gohan?" Videl asked finally.

**  
**Gohan seemed to contemplate this for a few seconds.  
"I do, but I believe even more in love at first kiss." he then said, eliciting a smile from Videl. "I must admit, ever since I saw you in the spectators ranks during the tournament, you evoked my interest. First of all, you are very beautiful," Videl blushed at this and uttered a "Thank you", "obviously have a strong will from what I can tell, not to mention that you are very strong for a human, and possess a warrior's spirit. In fact, I think you do have more potential than even Krillin, and he was the strongest human alive before he was killed by the tin-cans. Those are all traits I like in a girl-friend and potential mate. Not to mention that you have the cutest smile I have ever seen."

**  
**Yet another blush.  
"Thank you, Gohan. I, myself, do believe in love at first sight too. The fact that I'm dead has cured me from a lot of inhibitions, thus I'll be straightforward: ever since I saw you for the first time in this tournament, I have thought that you're the hottest hunk I have ever seen. And when I saw you fight and perform all the features you did, I knew that you could be the one for me. Although you were a lot stronger than your opponents in most of the fights, you remained honourable and fought honourable. The fact that you kept fighting the Androids down on Earth for so long without giving up speaks highly for you too."

**  
**She noticed the sad glint that appeared in Gohan's eyes and hurried to continue.  
"Gohan, believe me that it was not your fault that the Androids killed millions of people and are still doing so. You gave it your best! You even gave your life to protect people you didn't even know! Gohan, you are a hero, not only because you won this tournament, but because of your deeds on Earth! And whenever I look at you, I have the feeling that I have known you my whole live (albeit I'm dead right now), and I would like to spend as much time as possible with you. To be straightforward, I'd like to be your girl-friend."

**  
**Gohan smiled, not a smirk, but a full-blown smile.  
"I'd be honoured, Videl. Although I think it will prove quite hard to find places to date in the Afterlife." he said in jest.

**  
**Videl smiled too.  
"I guess you're right there. I failed to find a movie theatre, let alone a good restaurant up here." she joked. "But I guess the parks up here will have to do it."

**  
**Gohan nodded.  
"I think they will." he said, leaned forward and gave Videl another kiss, one both enjoyed very much. When they finally broke it, Gohan sighed, "Too bad we did not meet when we were alive." he said and Videl nodded. "But on the other hand," he continued, "it might be a good thing, thus I did not have to watch you die. I don't think my sanity would have survived it."

**  
**Videl cocked a brow at that, and Gohan explained.  
"Look, we barely know each other, and I for my part can say that I have fallen quite hard for you. Imagine what would have happened if we had met during our mortal existence, had fallen for each other and you had been killed by the Androids. I think I would have snapped, and I might have become even more dangerous than the Androids." Gohan stated.

**  
**"How is that?" Videl asked.

"Well, when the Androids attacked and killed all my friends I was so enraged that I transformed into a Super Saiyan. The Z-Gang consists of people I like very much, but imagine what could have happened if the Androids had killed someone I love, in that case you. I could have snapped, and a Super Saiyan out of control is the most dangerous thing imaginable. I remember from the legend of the first Super Saiyan that he had snapped, and he had enough power to wreck half the galaxy. And that is no exaggeration, for Vegeta does not exaggerate." Gohan said.

**  
**Videl gulped at that.  
"You're right, maybe it is better. But it could have been nice nevertheless." she mused.

Gohan smiled.  
"Then let's make sure that this _will_ be nice." he said and initiated another kiss.

**  
**"Sounds good to me." Videl said as she leaned into the kiss. When they hugged for the first time, both had the most intense feeling of butterflies in their stomachs. It was a nice feeling, and on Gohan's part it drove all the anger and sadness he still felt regarding his 'failure' away.

**  
**For Videl, it was simply bliss, something she had always hoped for, but had to wait for until after she died. Sometimes, live (and especially death) were really ironic.

**  
**After they had stopped kissing they remained hugging each other for quite some time, drawing comfort and hope from each others presence. Finally, when they broke the hug Gohan remembered that he had still something to ask Videl.  
"Videl," he began, and said raven-haired woman looked up into his eyes, "you probably remember that award I received from the Grand Kai."

**  
**At her nod he continued.

"Well, I can take anyone I want onto the trainings trip into the Density belt. And I'd like you to accompany me. After all, we only just found out that we might love each other, and I'd like to get to know you better. What do you say?"

**  
**Videl's eyes gleamed. She had heard of the Density belt before the tournament, and more than anything (aside from cuddling to Gohan) she wanted to accompany him there. However, there were certain problems that had to be addressed.  
"I'd love to, Gohan, but there's this slight problem."

**  
**"Huh? Which?" he asked.

**  
**Videl smiled at his cluelessness.  
"The problem that the gravity there is much too high for us 'simple' humans. Even though I am dead, I still can't stand the gravity on the worlds of the Density belt. And I have no idea what a solution to this problem could be."

**  
**Gohan nodded, rubbing his chin.  
"You've got a point there, Videl. Hmm, I have to talk to the Grand Kai, after all, he said I can bring any one I want to. Maybe he can bend the rules or has some stroke of genius. But first I want to enjoy some more time with you."

**  
**Videl obliged all too gladly, and the two spend a very good and undisturbed time in the park.

**  
TBC...**

**  
Thanks to:**

**  
goldfighter**

**  
Fwee**

**  
Digi fan**

**  
wizardmon92**

**  
Tootsy**

**  
Fenix**

**  
Rose Vaughn**

**  
hey**

**  
Really seeking answers to some things that didn't come out right on DBZ.: yup, you're right about this. But I got no idea whatsoever for the reasoning Akira Toriyama had regarding the tails. Sorry.**

**  
Rejhan**

**  
MarshmellowDragon**

**  
trunks and goten**

**  
Saiyan God**

**  
chrey149**

**  
zara m**

**  
Important Note for those who're not in my mailing list:**

The new update is out, but it will be the last one for a DBZ story of mine for some time. I have decided to put the 'Afterlife'-story on hold (again). I simply don't have any inspiration how to continue it at the moment, and have decided to try something else. Writing for only one genre becomes somewhat boring after a time. Look at animeprincess aka trunksandgoten, she writes for a whole lot of genres and keeps her motivation. My respect to that!

Thus I have decided to try a different genre, also anime, namely Ranma ½ (a new 'obsession' of mine, thanks to a buddy). It is a quite ambitious project and will be on par with 'A sweet Surprise' ambition wise and lengthwise.

I once again plan to better the life of a hero, like I did with Gohan. And I have already begun to work at it. So you see, I'll continue to write, and my motivation for this new project is high. Already a lot of chapters are planned out, and the first one will be published next Wednesday.

Due to the fact that I have now more control over my life again I will also be able to publish every Wednesday again. I hope you enjoy my writing for the writing itself and not only because of the genre.

I also hope you'll continue your support, for I have a whole lot of ideas, concepts and funny incidents planned out. There' so much one can do with the world of Ranma ½. And like 'Surprise' it will be a Humour/Romance story with action-overtones.

So please, don't tar and feather me. I continue to write, only for a different series.

If you have any questions, just ask. Thanks!

Yours truly,

Tru.


	23. Plans for a certain trainings trip

**Title**: Welcome to the Afterlife, son!  
**Author name**: Trugeta

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Akira Toriyama and Funimation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

This story focuses on the Mirai timeline after Gohan has been killed by the Androids. It's an AU, and Reviews are welcome and appreciated.

**Author´s note**: I know, I know. It has been a few months since I last updated this, but I just need a break from the story. Now inspiration is somewhat back, but this story will still be updated irregularly; just as I get new material for it. Sorry ´bout this. But rest assured, the story is not abandoned.

**  
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────**

**  
Chapter 23: Plans for a certain trainings trip**

**  
**Some time later, Gohan and Videl left the park, already, or finally, depending on the point of view, holding hands. Both were occasionally stealing glances at the other, for both could still not really grasp that they had just met for the first time. It really seemed to them as if they had known each other for their whole lives.

**  
**While they were walking to meet up with the Grand Kai in order to discuss what could be done to adapt Videl and the other humans to the gravity that reigned on the Density belt worlds, Gohan mused what his mother would have thought of Videl.

**  
**To be honest with himself, Videl even reminded him of his late mother. The young woman was quite straightforward, knew what she wanted, had quite the temper (from what he had seen when she had handled her father) and was incredibly beautiful.

**  
**Only good that she didn't have a frying pan at hand. Gohan remembered the lumps he had collected throughout his youth all too well...

**  
**The azure-blue eyes Videl possessed in contrast to the brown ones of his mother were one of the highlights of Videl's beautiful face, and while Videl was a beauty she also held herself like a fighter. He would see to it that she'd become a warrior.

**  
**But first things first, first of all he had to ensure that Videl could accompany him and the others to the Density belt, Videl's approval provided, of course. Though Gohan was quite sure that the Grand Kai would be able to come up with a satisfying solution. And that Videl would love to accompany him.

**  
**The demi-Saiyan had faith in the Grand Kai's ability to come up with a solution. The old rocker had, after all, come up with the idea to award him and the people of his choice to train in the Density belt as long as he/they wanted. He'd have something up his sleeve, if only to ensure that he'd keep his word that Gohan could bring _anyone_ he wanted.

**  
**While Gohan was hanging to his own thoughts, Videl was still a bit overwhelmed from what Gohan had told her about himself and the Saiyan race.

**  
**She slowly understood that Gohan was not only a major hunk, very intelligent (although a bit rough around the edges, though that could be expected from someone who had spend half of his life solely fighting the Androids) and easy on the eyes, but also one of the most powerful beings that existed now, despite the fact that he was dead and had gained the power he possessed now only after his death.

**  
**As far as Videl had understood it, Saiyans received an immense power-up in situations of near death, only that Gohan's power-up had kicked in too late to be of help to him in his fight against the Androids.

**  
**Well, due to that power-up Gohan had been able to compete with the top-ranking fighters in the tournament, and all this had helped him to become stronger. Thus, something good had come out of his fatal fight against the Androids after all.

**  
**During their stay in the park Gohan had also explained that there were several different levels of Super Saiyan that they knew of now, and that the one she had witnessed during his fight with his father in the late stages of the tournament was what they had dubbed 'Super Saiyan Level 2'.

**  
**As Videl had witnessed first hand, it was an immensely powerful state, though Gohan had committed to Videl that he suspected there to be even higher levels of Super Saiyan power that could be reached.

**  
**She had also seen the gleam in his eyes when he had stated that the training in the Density belt could be the exact thing that would help him and the other Saiyans reach these new levels of power.

**  
**From what Videl could tell of Gohan, he was a person who cared deeply for the well-being of others, as he had demonstrated in his year-long fight against the Androids, which had ultimately been in vain. All those years Gohan had fought to safe innocents, albeit they were people he did not even know.

**  
**Yes, Gohan Son was a person she could easily love, for their talk in the park had revealed him to be a caring person, despite his rough warrior exterior.

**  
**Gohan had also told her that Saiyans always strived to become more powerful, and in Gohan's case she could more than understand his determination to become stronger still.

**  
**He had learned from his battles with the Androids, that only the strongest fighter would prevail. Videl had then said that he was already strong enough to probably wipe the face of Earth from them easily, but there was the itsy-bitsy problem that he was terminally deceased.

**  
**Imagine her surprise when Gohan had told her that there existed something like the dragonballs, magical items, which could be used to grant any one wish the eternal dragon felt was within his power.

**  
**Though Gohan had had to admit that the dragonballs of Earth had become unusable when Piccolo, the Kami of Earth, had died.

**  
**Yet, there was still the chance that Trunks and his mother Bulma would somehow be able to reach the planet New Namek, for there existed an even more powerful dragon named Porunga, and his wish-granting powers knew nearly no bounds.

**  
**Gohan had told Videl that even deceased persons could be revived using the powers of Earth's dragonballs, but only within a timeframe of one year.

**  
**This, however, did not apply to New Nameks dragonballs, and if Trunks and Bulma were somehow able to reach New Namek, they all would be able to get wished back, which would then enable them to deliver some swift and certainly well deserved justice to a certain pair of murderous, out-of-control machines.

**  
**Videl had come to see that Gohan was not a person to kill someone lightly, fact that had made him even more attractive to her. In fact she considered Gohan to be a warrior who would only kill as the last possible option, although she had no doubt that Gohan would have ended the existence of 17 and 18 all too gladly, had it been within his power.

**  
**After what Gohan had told her about his life and the Saiyans, and seeing all the proof like his Super Saiyan transformations, not to mention all the weird things she had come to see in her stay in the Afterlife, Videl took Gohan's story about the dragonballs at face value.

**  
**She knew that she could trust Gohan, she somehow felt it, and thus she understood his determination to better himself. If even the slight chance to return to life existed, they had to be prepared. As best prepared as possible. And to this end, Videl vowed to herself that she herself would push herself to her limits.

**  
**Provided that the Grand Kai knew of a way to enable her to participate in the trainings trip, that is. But she was confident that he would come up with something.

**  
**Videl smiled. For the first time since her arrival in the Afterlife things had started to look up. Sure, it had been a great bonus, not to mention an immense honour to be allowed to keep her body and train with other fighters and warriors, but her heart had not been in it. She had not seen the sense to try to better herself with all her might and determination, although she had improved vastly in her stay up here.

**  
**But that had all changed with her meeting a young man named Gohan Son, an incredible young warrior with whom she had the foundation to build something great.

**  
**The feelings she had had in the park were so unlike the feelings she had had when she had had her first crush on a young man. No, this was more than a crush, and both of them knew it. And due to the fact that they both were dead, there was no need to take it slowly, like they probably would have done on Earth.

**  
**Being dead certainly liberated one of certain inhibitions, so much was for sure, but that was only true and possible in their case because they had been allowed to keep their bodies.

**  
**Videl was sure that they would make the best of it. Aside from training, Gohan and her would see where their 'love at first sight and kiss' would lead them.

**  
**It was a good thing that sexual intercourse betweens lovers and couples in this realm was still allowed, though it was not possible to become pregnant in the Afterlife. After all, this was a place of the dead, thus life (and especially new life) had no place here.

**  
**It was also good that they could improve their strength, speed, skills and techniques through training unlike the residents in hell, and due to the facts she had learned from Gohan she would strive to improve and better herself as much as she could, provided she could accompany Gohan into the Density belt.

**  
**Both Gohan and Videl shook themselves out of their musings at the same time, smiled at each other and shared a quick kiss, and with even greater determination the two young people strode then towards the residence of the Grand Kai.

**  
**Incidentally, when Gohan and Videl where just a few hundred yards away from Grand Kai's residence, they noticed a certain North Kai approaching the building.

**  
**The catfish god had noticed them too, and waved a quick hello at them, which they returned in kind. The three met before the door of the building, and King Kai had a hidden smile on his face, a smile that had entered it as soon as he saw the two young people holding hands.

**  
**Yes, it was nice to see that love could blossom even in the Afterlife, and due to his telepathic and empathic powers King Kai was quite sure that what those two were feeling for another was indeed love.

**  
**Not _that_ surprising considering their respective files. It had been estimated by the ultimate force that those two would have become mates (or partners, as the humans would have called it), had they continued their existence on the mortal plane.

**  
**Thus it really came as no surprise to King Kai (or any other associated Kami for that matter), that the two were falling for each other.  
**'And from what I can tell they're both falling quite hard. I only hope they have a nice, soft carpet to soften the fall.'** the North Kai though to himself and snickered internally at his pun.

**  
**A second later King Kai addressed the two with his trademark grin.  
"Why hello you two. I was just on my way to the Grand Kai, and I trust that you wanted to see him too, Gohan? Finally decided who you want to take on the trip?" he asked with a snicker and a blink at Videl.

**  
**Gohan only smirked. He had lived through far too much to be embarrassed by anything, so this teasing was nothing to him. Thus he only answered jovially.  
"You could say so, King Kai. That is indeed why I wanted to see the Grand Kai. You know the place better, lead the way."

**  
**If King Kai was surprised by the fact, the Gohan was not embarrassed in the least he did not show it.  
"Sure, Gohan." he said and did just that. "In fact, I just came from an assignment that has to do with your trainings trip. As you know, the Grand Kai gave you practically a carte blanche for who you could take with you onto the trainings trip. That is, for one, unheard of. So believe me when I say that the Grand Kai and especially the Dai-Kaio-Shin has something in mind with you. And with you too, young lady." he said, grinning at Videl. "In fact, I just come from the Dai-Kaio-Shin, and he gave explicit permission for something the Grand Kai will tell you soon. In fact as soon as I open this door." he snickered.

**  
**Gohan absorbed this info and nodded. Videl, who was still holding his hand seemed to be quite intrigued, and wondered what on Earth the Kaio Shin could have in mind with _her_ of all people. Ultimately, she just shrugged internally and voted to just enjoy the ride. Whatever the ride would turn out to be...

**  
**Sensing that Videl and Gohan were mentally prepared for what lay ahead, King Kai opened the door that led to Grand Kai's office.

**  
**And just like in any good office, the Grand Kai had a secretary. This secretary was of the blue-skinned, horned and semi-demonic type one frequently encountered in the Afterlife's bureaucracy, but unlike the others Gohan had encountered until now this was a female oni. And a rather good looking one at that.

**  
**King Kai, for his part, turned on his charm and greeted her with a (what he thought) winning smile.  
"Good morning, Rose. I have an appointment with him. As it pertains these two too," he pointed at Gohan and Videl, "they're expected too."

**  
**The secretary checked her computer once, and then nodded.  
"Okay, King Kai. Everything looks okay, and he's waiting for you. You may proceed."

**  
**King Kai nodded and waved at his attendances to follow him, which they did. The North Kai led them towards a door in the back of the room, knocked once and entered. Gohan and Videl followed suit.

**  
**The room the three had entered was quite spacious, and in the corners stood several plants which protruded up to the ceiling and gave the room a nice and lively atmosphere. A rather nice environment for work.

**  
**In the right corner of the room, taking up a large amount of space, stood a huge music system. It could only be called a music system, for it looked too sophisticated to be called anything else. Well, this argued clearly for the fact that the Grand Kai was a rocker at heart.

**  
**Above mentioned Grand Kai, for his part, was sitting relaxed behind a quite huge oak desk, not dissimilar to the one King Yemma seemed to be chained to.

**  
**The Grand Kai was sitting in a rather comfy looking office chair. Even though it was not sunny in the room in the least bit, he was still wearing his trademark sun-glasses. Gohan had however no doubts at all that he was able to see everything in absolute clarity.

**  
**King Kai walked up to the desk (while Gohan and Videl remained in the background, watching and evaluating) and bowed before his superior.  
"Excellence, everything has been done as ordered. He approves." was all the North Kai said.

**  
**Grand Kai nodded once, and a smirk appeared on his face.  
"Marvellous, dude." he said in his usual speech pattern, which evoked (secret) smirks in Gohan and Videl. The two could not help it, even if he was the Grand Kai, he just looked like a friendly old rocker.

**  
**Said friendly old rocker surveyed the two young people that had come into his office. He was relieved that he had been right about them, and the fact that his superior had approved of his plan proved it.  
"Gohan Son, Videl Satan. Please come forward and take a seat." he said, and pointed towards the two chairs that had appeared out of thin air.

**  
**Gohan and Videl both whistled. That trick must come in real handy. Both then took up Grand Kai's offer and took a seat, looking at Grand Kai expectantly once they were seated.

**  
**The Grand Kai cleared his throat and began his explanation.  
"Gohan, as you well know, the award you received from me entitles you to take whoever you want onto the trainings trip into the Density belt. First, I want to know, am I correct to assume that you want to take this young lady, Videl Satan, onto the specified trainings trip?"

**  
**At first, Gohan was a bit surprised that the Grand Kai would ask _that_ question, but considering the psychic powers the Kamis obviously had it was probably not that surprising. Overcoming his initial surprise fast he answered.  
"Yes, your excellence, you're correct to assume this." he said, and Videl looked on in surprise. "Videl's approval provided, of course."

**  
**Grand Kai looked at Videl, and asked a question which's answer he already knew. Well, he had to ask anyway. Protocols. Go fig.  
"Videl, if I may call you Videl," at Videl's quick nod he continued, "do you want to accompany Gohan onto the trainings trip?"

**  
**Videl's answer was instantaneous and without any hesitation.  
"Yes! In a heartbeat! But what about the problem that I won't be able to resist the gravity of the Density belt worlds, your excellence?"

**  
**Grand Kai smiled. Both at her respectful tone towards him and the question.  
"Ah, you come right to the core of the problem. Good. You see, that is why I send King Kai here to the Kaio Shin, my superior. To get his approval for something that would solve this particular problem."

**  
**Both Videl and Gohan listened with rapt attention. If the Grand Kai (with Kaio Shins permission) had found a way to enable Videl to get with him onto the trainings trip, that would be a heaven send. In this case, Gohan mused, quite literally.

**  
**Seeing that he had the undivided attention of the two youngsters before him Grand Kai continued.  
"Well, there is the inherit problem, as you, Videl, pointed out, that humans are not able to resist the high gravity that reigns on the Density belt. Even the world with the lowest gravity, one world at the edge of the cluster with 30 G, would overtax you and most probably turn your bones into powder, regardless of your prior training you received here in the Afterlife. There is however a solution to this problem. A quite unorthodox one, I must admit, but it is the most promising one." he said.

**  
**Gohan and Videl looked at each other. Unorthodox? Well, that was nothing new to them. Their lives (and especially Videl's 'life' in the Afterlife had been anything but orthodox).  
"Unorthodox, eh? Well, I for my part don't do normal. What about you, Videl?" he asked, only half in jest.

**  
**Videl pretended to be thinking for a few seconds, and then shrugged.  
"Ever since I came up here I have seen and done so many weird things that something dubbed 'unorthodox' won't scare me off." she said in the breast-note of confirmedness.

**  
**Grand Kai nodded, satisfied with her answer.  
"Good. To understand what I have to propose, you must know that we, that means the Kamis, had our procedures recently brought up to date. The Afterlife now operates on the basis of fail-proof computer systems, not unlike the Yggdrasil system of a neighbouring dimension. Anyways, dudes, due to that new computer system it is possible to change the 'stats', so to speak, of a person. Thus, Videl, it would be a viable option to change your specified race into something else, in this case, into a Saiyan. That is what I'd propose."

**  
**Both Gohan and Videl looked at the Grand Kai disbelieving. Finally Videl spoke up.  
"You... you can change the _race_ of a being... just like that?" she asked flabbergasted.

**  
**Grand Kai smiled.  
"No, Videl. Not just like that. There are several mechanisms in the system that prevent such alterations. However, if the Kaio Shin approves and gives his explicit permission, or rather validates the process at his terminal, such changes can be made. Of course, there are a lot of security protocols in function to prevent any misuse, and as far as we know, this has never happened before. This is quite an honour, Videl, and it means that fate and the Kaio Shin do plan something for you. Furthermore, it has been seen by Uranai Baba." he stated, as if that would explain everything. Noting the expression on Gohan's face, it obviously did.

**  
**Videl had to gulp a few times, as the enormity of the proposition began to sink in, while Gohan was feeling excitement. If Videl _really_ could be turned into a _Saiyan_, things would become much more interesting.

**  
**The young woman in question had finally regained the ability to speak.  
"Thank you, your excellence, I'd be most honoured if that were possible. Gohan has already told me all that he knows about the Saiyan race, including their physiology, thus I know what would be awaiting me. But you said that the Kaio Shins' approval would be needed. Am I right to assume that that was what King Kai's assignment was? To ask for his approval?"

**  
**Grand Kai smirked. Yes, he could see why Videl was considered of importance in the future. She was a real sharp one.  
"Yes," Grand Kai said, dropping his act and becoming quite serious in the process, living up to the responsibilities and power he had as well as to his position in the Afterlife, "you are correct to assume that. And as you correctly guessed, the Kaio Shin has already given his approval for the procedure."

**  
**Gohan nodded to himself. He, like Videl, had figured as much. There was however one thing left.  
"Grand Kai, your proposition is, to say it bluntly, way cool. There is however the matter of my other human friends, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Chao-Tzu. What about them?"

**  
**The Grand Kai stroked his beard. He had anticipated this question in the course of the conversation.  
"Well, Gohan, as we are creating a test case here, the Kaio Shin does not want to get overboard here. Thus only one case was allowed, and the Kaio Shin picked the one person with the most potential."

**  
**Videl goggled at that.  
"What? _I_ am the one with the most potential among Gohan's friends?" she asked disbelieving.

**  
**Grand Kai nodded.  
"Yup, positive." he answered. **'It might also have something to do with the fact, that you're obviously developing romantic feelings for another, and that fate, if Uranai Baba is correct (which I don't doubt), has important plans for you. For you two.' **he thought to himself.

**  
**Then he continued.  
"As for your friends, Gohan, well, for compensation they will be allowed to train on one of the Density belt worlds. The one I mentioned before, the world with 30 G. All four of your friends are strong enough to resist the gravity of this world, as they have trained ever since their arrival. I'd think that this will satisfy them, don't you?"

**  
**Gohan thought about this and nodded then.  
"I guess. As far as I know, all four are quite satisfied with being humans, and I have my silent doubts that they would want to be turned into Saiyans. Yeah, I'd say they'll be satisfied."

**  
**Grand Kai nodded.  
"Good. I further assume that the other participants in your trainings trip would be your father, Vegeta and Piccolo. Correct?"

**  
**Gohan answered with a nod of his own.  
"Absolutely. Especially dad, as far as I can tell what with not having seen him in years, would fight all hell to train at a place like the Density belt. The same goes for Vegeta and Piccolo, although my old mentor would never admit it." he snickered.

**  
**The Grand Kai grinned. He suspected as much of the former Kami of Earth too. Piccolo had always been too stiff for his own good, and the Namekian had not even relaxed once even after his death. Hmm, maybe this trainings trip would hold some surprises for the Namekian. Who knows?  
"Okay, Gohan. Once you have informed the others of the plan, you can send me a mental note when you are done. You can do so by just thinking it. Due to the fact that I'm telepathic, and considering that you, as a half-Saiyan are too to a certain degree, I'll receive the message clearly. Any more questions?" Grand Kai asked. As well Gohan as Videl shook their heads in answer, and Grand Kai nodded. "Good, dudes. See you in a bit."

**  
**King Kai, who had been standing silent in the background bowed to his superior.  
"Your excellence." he said and headed for the door.

**  
**Gohan and Videl followed him.  
"Until later, your excellence." they chorused, looked at each other and smiled. Funny how they had said the same thing at the same time...

**  
**Now they would meet up with the other members of the Z-Gang and inform them of what was to happen. Now that would surely be an interesting meeting...

**  
to be continued…**

**  
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────**

**  
**I'd like to thank all of you who have taken the time to leave a review, and my review answers can be found at the bottom of this page. I enjoy reading your comments, and the suggestions you all make will help to make this story even better.

If you find anything illogical that might have created a plot-hole or anything else that is wrong, let me know and I'll fix it. Thanks for reading.

**  
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────**

**  
REVIEWERS RESPONSES**:

**  
Anthony1**: No prob. As said somewhere in this story, I had to get my mind on a new challenge after the last dbz project was finished. And Ranma ½ is really great and I love to write for it. But now I got some inspiration back for dbz…

**  
goldfighter** : Thanks, man! And also thanks for reading and liking my other story!

**  
DemonVidel**: Nice and cool new name! And as you saw, I needed a change, and it did me a world of good. Writing for Ranma really is fun! But I'll also update this story from time to time, whenever I have enough material for a new chapter.  
And thanks for the compliment! I really appreciate it, and I plan also to return to the dbz-world a bit more permanently. In fact, I have something planned, and no, it's not the sequel to Surprise. You'll have to wait and see...

**  
Digi fan**: Thanks! And right you are, that´s really too bad. But better late than never...

**  
mpvssj5**: I´m glad to hear that. As for new beginnings´, nope. I will use the ideas I had for the story elsewhere...

**  
Rejhan**: Yeah. :) And about time, eh? Those two are really too sweet together. Glad that you liked the history. And nope, I ain´t as cruel as to leave a cliffie... Glad that you like the Ranma story!

**  
Muse**: yeah, me too, but I just had to do something different. And thanks for the compliment! As for the suggestions, I´m planning on doing so. Ist just bridging the gap between the afterlife and earth that´s quite hard. But I´ll come up with something.

**  
Saiyan God**: Thanks! Yeah, I like to t ink that the waff between the two was okay. Dunno if my Ranma story´s as good as Surprise, I can´t judge that myself... But I can say one thing: I love to write for it!

**  
mdknisley**: Interesting suggestion... :)

**  
wizardmon92**: You´re welcome. And yeah, I can.

**  
MarshmellowDragon**: Yeah, now I´m gonna publish new chapters each time I got enough material for it. So I dunno when the next update will commence. But I´m glad that you like the Ranma story.

**  
trunks and goten**: Thanks! I´m glad that you enjoyed it. Okay, Tien got stronger than Krillin cause he gave up on fighting, but throughout dbz Krillin was the strongest human...

**  
DBZ Chick1**: Thanks! Glad that you love the story!

**  
nick-lover1991**: Glad that you can see my point. As for the sequel, I haven´t planned anything yet. Too busy with other projects...

**  
zara m**: Thanks, Sam! #sheepish grin# Yeah, you sure had a long wait. But I plan on remedying that somewhat. I got a new project planned, and nope, it ain't a sequel to 'Surprise'…


End file.
